Strings of Fate
by Nisie
Summary: Twins Ventus and Roxas lived happily until one of them saw the truth. Rokunami, Sokai, Terqua.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. :3

_Chapter 1 : Twins_

_"Roxas, I need to tell you something." _

_"…What is it father?"_

_"You're…__「_

_"_

_"…Eh?"_

— 10 Years Later —-

"Roxas!" Called a playful voice. That voice belonged to Ventus. His older twin. Although Roxas disliked that fact. He was always confused with his feelings. He couldn't understand what he felt towards Ventus, or Ven as he called him. Ven loved him as a brother. For some reason, Roxas couldn't see Ven as a brother. Merely just someone who had the same face as him.

"What is it, Ven?" He asked coldly, waiting for the other boy to catch up. "Why did you left me! I told you I want to go together, right?" Ven pouted. Roxas only replied with a cold look. "Because you're still sleeping, and I don't want to be late. This is our first day in Highschool." He said before simply walked away from his twin.

"I- I was too excited that I couldn't sleep well last night." Well, that was a lie. For some reason Ven has been sleeping longer and longer than he usually take. Roxas was waiting for him to wake up that morning. However, all his attempt to wake the boy was futile. Ven kept sleeping, and that made Roxas decided to leave him be. To give him more rest, hoping that if he did that, Ven wouldn't sleep for too long.

"How childish." He commented. Which amused the older twin. It was fun teasing Ven anyways.

"Don't give me that look. I'm older you know." He replied.

"Yeah, so what?"

"You should have respected me more."

"Hmph."

"What was that for?"

"Anyways, we should hurry. School's going to start soon." Roxas said as he started to run.

"What?" Ven shouted, running as he glanced at his watch.

—

"Huff… We made it!" Ven exclaimed with a tired smile. Roxas was next to him, also panting. "It seemed like we're not in the same class, Ven." He said as he examined the information board. At that Ven made a sad look, but as soon as Roxas stated that their class were next to each other, he returned to his cheerful mood.

"I'm glad that we're still close although we're separated." He said as he took something out from his bag. "Here, you forgot to bring this with you." He said as he gave Roxas a lunchbox.

Roxas was surprised with that. When did Ven made this anyway? He was sleeping, wasn't he?

"I made this last night. Don't worry, I've reheated it." He said with a smile, then left for his class. "Well, I suppose we should go now?" He said as he took the stairs to where their classes were. Roxas smiled back at him. "You've always done the unnecessary thing." He muttered before following his brother to his class.

It has been four years since their parent's death. They said it was an accident. Their body was never found, but they were thought to be dead. Ever since then, the two were under Eraqus's charge. Eraqus was the head-master of Radiant Light High-school. As well as Terra's father. Terra was their adopted brother. However, only Ven looked at him as brothers.

They have lived together for four years. But now that they have reached high-school. They lived separately in a dormitory. But Ven and Roxas were able to share a room, thanks to Eraqus's special permission.

"Name's Sora! My favorite food is Paopu Fruit! Nice to meet you all! " Said a cheerful boy sitting in front of him. Roxas hasn't been paying attention to the introduction. He was surprised when the boy in front of him suddenly stood. For some reason, he could imagine Ven saying the same thing as him.

He could hear the teacher, his homeroom teacher, Vexen or whoever his name was called for the next student. Which happened to be him. "I'm Roxas…" He wondered what to say next. In the end, he couldn't say anything and quickly sat down. The boy in front of him turned and examined his face. Which irritated Roxas a bit.

"…What?" He asked. The boy chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Ah, I'm sorry. I thought I've seen your face before." The brunette chuckled. "But maybe it's just my imagination." He added.

"… Maybe you saw my twin brother, Ven. He's in other class." Roxas muttered.

"I see, that might be so! I'm Sora, nice to meet you..uh…" He introduced again, but then panicked as he couldn't remember Roxas's name.

"It's Roxas." He replied coldly. It has no effect to Sora, though. "Heh, Nice to meet you, Roxas!" He grinned. This boy was a splitting image of Ven. It's Ironic, even though Roxas was Ven's twin, this boy matched the position more perfect than him.

Their first day went quick. There were no lessons yet. Only explanation of rules, vision and mission. Roxas paid no attention to everything the teacher said. He already knew everything. It's written in their Junior's Agenda. Which was apparently given to every juniors when they first entered the school.

Next period was the ridiculous lesson, or so Roxas called it. They were supposed to collect every teacher's sign and at least 15 seniors. Collecting the teacher's signs were easy. All he had to do is come to the teacher's room and ask every one of them. For the seniors, this is where the ridiculous part takes. They have to do the tasks the senior asks them before getting their signs.

Ven already got two from Terra and Aqua. Which happen to be his closest friends. Aqua was Terra's girlfriend. Although, Ven must do several things Terra told him to do. Ven was, apparently asked to call them with "Big Brother" Terra and "Big Sister" Aqua.

The two didn't hesitate to give their signs to Roxas, though. They didn't even bother pulling pranks on him. Which saved him, and amused Ven even more. He could still hear Ven shouting unfair when he bumped into a red-haired senior. "Oh? Are you a junior?" He asked. Roxas examined him answering him with a simple 'yes'.

"I see, well, do you want my handsign?" He offered.

"…No thanks."

"Whaa? You're one unique boy, you know! Most juniors are desperate finding signs now and you don't want a free one?" The red haired laughed. "Heh, name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" He said before stealing Roxas's junior agenda and signed it.

"Roxas, huh? I'll get it memorized. Until we meet again then." He said as he examined the book, and returned it to Roxas.

"…What a blatant person." He muttered before taking his leave.

The next period was lunchtime. Yup, best period ever. He took out the lunchbox Ven gave him and opened it. Revealing a well cooked meal. "…It's good." He commented as he tasted it.

His next period was a tour around the school. It seemed like each class has different schedule. Which means, Ven might already got the tour. Not like it mattered. The person guiding them for the tour was a senior. Demyx or so his name is. He explained every little bit about the school. Even the place where he used to hide when he skipped class.

This school was bigger than he thought. He never knew his step-father would be ruling over such a big school. Nothing interested him but one part of the school. The ice stand. He just couldn't resist buying that tasty looking sea-salt ice cream. He always had a thing for the salty ice-cream. Although a little salty, it's also tasty. He knew he had to buy it after school.

Too bad that their last period, was a speech about appropriate attitudes from Xemnas. The most confusing teacher ever. Or so Roxas thought. His words didn't even connect to each other. He was confusing alright. '…Damn… If this continues, the ice-cream will get sold-out.' He thought.

And he was right.

His class was the last to get out, and the sea-salt ice cream was sold out. He frowned at the situation and just stared blankly at the closed ice-cream stand. 'Damn that Xemnas…' He thought as he pictured him beating up the said teacher. His concentration was blurred when something cold and salty met his lips. It was the sea-salt ice cream. Ven was holding it, he placed it on his lips.

"Thought you'll want this." He chuckled as he ate his own sea-salt ice cream. "…heh." He smiled as he accepted the ice cream and ate it happily as they went home together.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. :3

Thank you PenguinObsessed for reading this XD.

Chapter 2 : Naminé

It was their second day yet he couldn't see Ven around. Was he up early?

With that on thought he walked out from their shared bedroom to the living room + kitchen. Yes, each dorm room consist of one small bedroom (with capacity of 2 beds), one bathroom and one kitchen. Although small, everything could fit in perfectly. There were no extra rooms because of it though.

Leaving the room, Roxas could found Ven, already up and dressed in their uniform cooking something. Probably another lunchbox. "Ven? What are you doing?" He called. The other boy was surprised and quickly looked back at his twin. "Ah? I'm making lunch for us. Do you want to add something else?" He asked. Roxas thought for a second before deciding. "…fishball." He blushed before heading to shower. "Okay, fishball it is, then." Ven smiled before preparing the ingredients.

School started almost similar to yesterday. What they had to do was only running to some seniors and get their hand sign. Almost every student had finished collecting the teacher's sign. The only problems were the seniors. For sometimes they gave them impossible task. Although some were kind enough, or maybe don't care to give their hand signs for free.

He was lucky to bump into Sora and his friends. He didn't know how, but Sora has befriended lots of seniors, and most of the junior students. Perhaps it was because of his personality that people came to like him. With help from Sora's friends, he got lots of senior signs. Wakka, Aerith, Leon, Tifa, Cloud, Sephiroth, Mulan, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine and Alladin. Counted with Ven's friends (which he didn't remember when his twin befriended them), Hercules, Cinderella, and Aurora he only needs a few more to complete his agenda.

Along with Axel, Terra and Aqua's sign, he got 17 handsigns now. Only three more.

"What do you mean you don't want to sign our agenda?" Shouted a male's voice. The boy seems to be a junior, seeing how he carried that agenda around. Behind him were two other juniors. One which is a girl. "It means what it means. You guys were not good enough." Another boy, which seemed slightly older than the first laughed at the trio. There were three other students behind him. A tough-gorilla like boy, a mysterious girl and a short male wearing strange hat.

"Come on, Hayner. Let's just go." The girl behind the junior begged as she held his shoulder. Trying so hard holding the boy's temper down. "Olette's right, Hayner. There are still other seniors." The other boy, a fat but sharp eyed boy held his other side. Also trying to stop him from punching the seniors.

"I can't accept it. After all we've done for them!" The furios boy, Hayner glared at the taller boy. "Oh, come on. You guys don't deserve our hand sings anyways." The taller mocked. "We what?" Hayner shouted before Roxas cut them off in the line.

"Hey!" He yelled at them. The two leader looked at him with annoyed looks. "What?" The two shouted in resonance, which angered them even more.

"Well, I saw you fighting. I just have a suggestion. How about a struggle match?" He suggested. "If his team won, you must give them your signs. If you won, however… well, you decide." He added as he walked to the junior's side.

"Heh, you said you're challenging me? Fine. As for if I won, how about you guys became my slave for the year?" He challenged.

"Fine, we accept!" The junior's team leader accepted. Which made the other two panics. "H-hayner!" The girl, Olette creeped out. "Are you sure? We're going to be their slave for the year if we lose!" The fatter one asked. But the fiery boy's eyes didn't show fear at all.

"Don't worry, we'll win this." He said to them before looking at Roxas. "Hey, what's your name?" He asked. "I'm Roxas." He introduced. Strangely, he didn't feel wrong with them. It's like they were destined to be friends. "Roxas, huh? I'm Hayner. Nice to meet ya'" He said as he punched his shoulder lightly.

"I'm Pence." The fatter one introduced. "And I'm Olette." The girl smiled.

"Well, let's go then, Roxas?" He asked as he grinned at the blond. "Yeah!" He replied with a smile before running to the school's grounds.

"Well, here are the rules. Those who fell first became the loser. Are you ready? Let's Struggle!" The referee, which happens to be Pence, blew the whistle. Signing the start of the match. Hayner has teamed up with Roxas while the other boy, whose name he learned to be Seifer teamed up with his underlings, Vivi, the boy with weird hat.

The match seemed to taken up audience. At which Ven, Terra and Aqua got interested in and decided to saw the match before Ven freaked out seeing his twin struggled in the match. "Roxas?" He shouted as he watched the match.

Defeating Seifer were easy. But that Vivi was unexpectedly strong. Both team were down with one now that Hayner got a finishing blow from Vivi. "Hayner!" Roxas shouted. "I'm fine. Just concentrate on winning. Our lives' in your hand now, Roxas!" The boy shouted back. At that Roxas nodded and concentrated in winning the match. However, Vivi was fast. He was also small that Roxas had trouble hitting him.

" Behind you!" Shouted a voice. That voice was familiar. Yeah, it was Ven's.

At his voice, he quickly reacted and blocked the smaller boy's moves with his struggle bat. He quickly countered and finally made the smaller down.

"YEAAAAHHH!" The crowd cheered. It seemed like they have attracted more attentions than they thought they would.

"Amazing Roxas! You really beat them!" Hayner shouted as he went to the boy and congratulate him. The other two, Pence and Olette did the same. Their face painted with happiness. "I guess I'm just lucky." He replied with a small smile.

"Roxas!" Ven shouted as he approached him as well. "That was a Gr-" Then something happened. Everything stopped. The time has stopped. No one moved but him. Not even Ven, who was about to say something to him before the time stopped.

"What's happening? Ven? Hayner? Pence, Olette?" He yelled. But none replied to him. They just froze there. "Roxas." A feminine voice called. A girl, probably a junior as well approached him. She has blond hair and pale white skin. Her appearance matched that of an angel. She was beautiful.

"…Who are you? What's happening here? What happened to everyone? " He yelled at her. She smiled at him and put a finger on his lips. "Don't worry, everyone will be alright. Come with me, and I'll explain everything." She said to him as she walked away.

"…Ven…Hayner, Pence, Olette…" He muttered their name before following the girl.

To his surprise, the girl led him into a white room that he didn't even knew exist in the school. It was hidden behind a bookshelf in a library. Somehow, everything around them was frozen. Nothing moved. Not even a fly. It's stuck there even though it's still flying.

"Naminé! You're late!" Called a familiar voice. That cheerful voice may only belong to someone. The first boy he met in his first day.

"I'm sorry, Sora. I brought Roxas with me." She said to him. It was him, it was Sora. But not just Sora, even Terra and Aqua were there. Along with a silver haired boy, and a Maroon haired girl. Last but not least, his and Ven's adopted father were there. Eraqus was there. They all looked excited to see Roxas coming in.

"Father?" He muttered as he saw his adopted father, as well as the head-master standing before him with his steady and strong appearance. "Roxas… So faith has turned its wheel, huh?" The man muttered before approaching him and placed his hands on Roxas's shoulder. "Listen carefully, Roxas. You're about to unveil the truth. Keep strong, Roxas." He said before he walked away.

The girl, Naminé, approached him and held one of his hands. "…Roxas, Good luck." She said before suddenly, a bright light flashed before him. Blinding him.

As he opened his eyes, he found out that he wasn't in the white room anymore. He was standing on a stained glass. A green one with his picture on it. Sleeping peacefully. "…Where am I?" He muttered as he looked around. Nothing, everything were pitch black.

He couldn't feel anything until three light orbs appeared out of nowhere. It soon formed into three different things. A Staff, a Sword, and a Shield. "…Am I supposed to take it?" He muttered to himself before approaching the floating sword. The sword soon disappeared and transformed into a key-looking sword. It's held was golden yellow, it's blade and its teeth were silver. The teeth of the blade had a form of a crown. In the end of the hilt was a keychain in the shape of a mouse's head.

There was another light coming, this time a door stood before him. Followed up with a voice he couldn't hear, yet understood.

"Be careful." Said the voice. It's like words appearing in his mind. He didn't hear any sound, but it felt like it was spoken by someone close to him. "Beyond that door lies a completely different world… But don't be afraid. Don't stop walking…" The voice said

_Don't stop walking?_ He thought. But then decided to brush it off and exited through the door.

He has returned to the white room.

"How's it, Roxas?" Asked Sora, who looked at him with his usual grin. "What do you mean?" He asked back. "Huh? Don't you feel excited? You're about to hold the strongest weapon of all." He said.

"Said someone who didn't want to bear it at first." Riku added.

"Hey, I changed, okay?"

"Whatever. At the very least he wasn't terrified like you was."

"Riku!" Sora charged at him. But was stopped by Kairi.

"Come on you two. Can't you give Roxas some space?" She said as she stood between the two, stopping the fight.

"Are you okay?" Naminé asked with a worried face. "…What's that all about?" He asked back. He was okay, but that doesn't mean that he's in top condition. He had just seen something unthinkable. How could he be fine? He wished it was all a dream. After all, he was supposed to be mocking Seifer of his victory right now.

"Roxas, you are chosen as a keyblade-wielder. Come with us, it's better to see with your own eyes." She said as she took Roxas's arm and led him out of the room. The others following but Eraqus.

He was led back to where the struggle battle was held. He could still see everyone frozen. Time has not moved, it seems.

"So, where is it, Naminé?" Sora asked, his hands placed behind his head. The girl let go of Roxas's arms and then concentrated. "It should uncover itself soon enough. We're close to it. Be careful." She said before looking at Roxas again. "Be careful, Roxas." She said as she walked away from the commotion. Kairi following her.

"Good luck, guys!" Kairi cheered from afar.

"What's the meaning of this? What's going to hap-" Before Roxas could finish, a strange aura enveloped them. The source coming from Vivi's direction. A white doll thing appeared. It suddenly multiplied and attacked them. Everyone but Roxas quickly summoned their keyblade. Everyone had different shapes. Terra has his Ends of the Earth summoned. Aqua has her Stormfall, Riku with his Way to the Dawn, and Sora with Kingdom Key. At which Roxas found himself confused. Unaware that the white dolls were approaching him.

"Roxas! Use the Keyblade!" Naminé shouted. He quickly looked up and put his hands in front of him to defend him from the monster. He closed his eyes, yet he felt no pain. He stood there for a second, and opened his eyes closely. On his hands were two keyblades. The first one illuminates a really bright light with a wing shaped grip and star shaped teeth. The other were as dark as shadow with a devilish wing as its grip and chain along the blade.

"Is this… Keyblade?" He muttered before the white monster thing flew around him. They came out and all attacked at once. However, Roxas was a better battler. He quickly slid away from them and made a reversal attack. A counter attack. He quickly got to their behind and attacked them with his weapon. Strangely, it felt like he was born to wield that weapon. Keyblade.

Soon enough, all of the monsters were defeated. Defeating them was quite easy. A few slashes and they were done for. That was what he thought. Until a big one appeared. This big one, however didn't attack and instead, it flew elsewhere. Leaving the school ground and into the rooftop. As if challenging them.

The five of them, Terra, Aqua, Riku, Sora and Roxas followed the monster to the rooftop. This big one has tentacles around its neck, and instantly disabled both Terra and Riku with its spell. The spell has locked both their arms and legs to prevent them from moving. Luckily Aqua and Sora were still around to help him fight.

This giant monster, although big could move around as if it bears no weight. It waved its giant arms and made a brutal hit towards them. Aqua kept casted cure on the two while Sora tried his best to attack the monster. Roxas tried to do the same, however, due to his inexperience; he wasn't able to deliver much damage.

"Roxas, behind you!" Sora shouted. But it was too late. The same spell has been casted upon him. He found himself bound by the spell, unable to move. The big monster approached him and aimed his punch at him.

"Roxas!"

As everyone shouted, Roxas managed to throw his body to the side, and countered the attack with the Keyblade. Resulting the monster to run away from him. However, that monster was still aiming at him. This time, he grabbed the boy and threw him up to the sky. It was weird, but he could feel the familiarity when doing this. It's as if this wasn't his first time.

Quickly as he fell, he hit the monster's head with his keyblade, which happened to be the monster's weakness. With one single blow, the monster disappeared to white ashes.

Then, as the monster was defeated, time continued to move. "You did it, Roxas!" Sora shouted. The cheerful boy ran to him and hugged him like a little kid. "That was a great battle!" Sora praised. For a flash, he saw Ven saying the exact word. That's right. What did Ven wanted to say to him again?

"We should go back. It would be hard to explain the situation if you're gone from the scene, Roxas." Riku advised. Roxas was the winner of the Struggle battle. It would be weird to find him suddenly disappearing.

Nodding, he ran back to the School's ground. Hayner and the others were there, waiting for him. However, their face didn't show the happiness he thought they would. "Roxas! Where did you go, man? You suddenly disappeared!" Hayner said, half angry half worried. Pence came and gave him his agenda, already signed by Seifer's team.

"Sorry, guys. Something came up and… Well, I had to go for a while. What happened?" He asked. The three of them went quiet for a second before telling him the truth.

"It's about your brother, Ventus, he…"

"…What?"

Review helps me. Seriously. :3


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. :3

Chapter 3 : Answers

"_It's about your brother, Ventus, he…"_

"…_What?" _

"He suddenly collapsed, Roxas. Zack already brought him to the infirmary, but I think you should check on him soon." Hayner ended his story. Soon after, the blond boy bolted to the said place. His heart racing. He didn't understand why he felt so scared, and confused. Just what happened to Ven?

"VEN!" He screamed his lung out as he reached the infirmary. Within the room were a sleeping Ven and Zack, whom was waiting for him. "Hey." Zack, another Ven's friend, greeted as he smiled to him. "Don't worry. The school nurse said that he's just exhausted." He smiled then stood from where he sat, handing over the chair to Roxas.

Roxas kept quiet as he watched his twin. He was sleeping peacefully. Like what he saw in the stained glass back then. Now that he thought about it, was it really him? Or was it Ven?

Terra and Aqua arrived shortly after Roxas entered the room. Both of them wore their panicked face as they saw Ventus lying asleep on the bed. The two rushed to Ven's side and examined his condition before Zack explained the situation to them. "I see. Thank goodness, Ven." Aqua muttered as she stroke the unconscious boy's hair.

"It doesn't seem that he will wake up soon, we should take him home." Terra advised as he volunteered to carry the boy back to the dorm. Roxas couldn't say anything but to agree. That might be the best way.

In the end, Ven didn't wake up through the night, nor the day after. That was the first time Roxas went to school without Ven. Nor with the lunchbox Ven made. "…So much happened yesterday." He said before yawning. He couldn't get enough sleep. His mind was filled with the monsters, keyblade, and worries about Ventus that he couldn't stop watching his twin's steady breathing.

"Good Morning, Rox!" Sora greeted cheerfully before his face turned to concern. "…How's Ven doing?" He asked.

"He's still sleeping. He didn't show any fever or anything, though. So, I think he's fine." He said. Truthfully, he didn't want to leave Ven alone. However, knowing Ven, the boy would feel guilty if he skipped school.

"Well, Naminé asked me to tell you something." Sora said before walking to his seat and sat down. Roxas following behind him. "She said to meet you at the art room at break time." He smirked.

"What's with the smirk?" Roxas asked, half annoyed.

"Oh, nothing." He grinned.

Time passed rather quickly when you're not paying attention to the teachers. Today's lesson were about the curriculums and everything. Including the grades they needed to achieve to pass onto the next year. Of course, Roxas knew it all.

Today was the last day collecting signs. He wondered if Ven had finished his. After all, he skipped school today.

Lunch break. It's the promised time. He better hurry to the art room. Naminé was waiting for him anyways.

"Naminé? You here?" He asked as he entered the art room. Within the room was Namine, holding her sketchbook and drew something on it with crayons. The drawing, however… looked like what a kindergarten would draw.

"Roxas, you came." She greeted with a smile before motioning him to sit on the other side of the table. The art room was still clean. No paints or canvas. Only completed drawings hung on the walls. Of course, the club season hasn't started.

"I thought I need to give a proper explanation to you. About everything happened yesterday, about those monsters, and the keyblades." She said as she stopped drawing and showed him a painting of two monsters. One which he fought yesterday.

"Roxas, you are chosen by the keyblade. You're a keyblade wielder. The same goes for the people you fought with yesterday. They too, are keyblade wielders." She explained as Roxas listened carefully. There was a slight disappointment in his heart, yet he let it slip. He didn't knew why he felt like that, though.

"Once, there was a man named Ansem who ruled this land. He and his apprentices were conducting a research of the realm of light, and the other side. They intended on making a 'window' to see the other world. For they believed that there are other worlds aside this one." She paused then pointed at the monster drawings she drew.

"The one you fought yesterday, Roxas, they belong to that world Ansem was researching. They are called Nobodies. This one also belongs to that world, but you are yet to meet them." She said as she pointed at the black monster.

"Ansem knew that he made a mistake as the window he created turned out to be a 'door' instead. And so, he created a weapon to destroy these monsters. That is, the keyblade you wielded." She said as she flipped the page and showed him a drawing of keyblade. The very first one he saw. The kingdom key.

"These keyblades, however can only be wielded by few chosen people. You are one of them, Roxas. And so are the others." She said then flipped the page back to the monster drawings.

"These monsters, what are they after? And why does time stopped when they appear?" He asked.

"These monsters are creatures made of evil intentions. Ansem said that they are well attracted to living beings. That is, beings with emotions. It is assumed by Ansem that their motives are people's hearts. Also, time did not stop, Roxas. It's actually just moving slowly. Very slowly. That is another thing Ansem made for us. Also, it only happens in this school." She said.

"In…this school? What do you mean?"

"Roxas, this school, or should I say this land once belong to Ansem. This was where his castle was once. Upon spotting those monsters, he immediately sealed his own castle. And that made a protective program upon this land. Whenever these monsters showed up, a barrier shall be made, and that a protective spell shall be casted upon this land. And then only keyblade bearers may move around."

"…The spell to slow time." He muttered.

"Correct. Also, these monsters don't appear outside this school." She added.

"I see. What about the other one? You mentioned there are two kinds of monsters back there? I only saw the white one yesterday." He asked again as he eyed on the black creature on her painting.

"Yes. This one is called Heartless. They are the other side of the nobodies."

"The other side?"

"Yes, Heartless are evil creatures thirst for human's heart. They are also born from the hearts of people who lost their heart. Nobodies are what become of a human who lost their heart. Or so said in Ansem's reports." She said as she handed him a scrapped piece of paper. "It's hand-written by Ansem himself." She added.

Roxas examined the paper, then sighed. "Why me? There are other peoples out there. Why does the keyblade chose me?" He asked.

"…That, I don't know. The keyblades can be inherited from a keyblade master to their apprentices if they have potentials. is one of these masters. He inherited it to Terra and Aqua. Terra has chosen Riku as his successor. Aqua accidentally did that to my cousin, Kairi. As for Sora, we found him in a similar situation like yours. He's able to move around, even the spell has been activated. " She smiled.

"But…I can't summon the keyblade until I met you."

"It is bound to happen, Roxas. The keyblade has chosen you, and you can't change that. When we found Sora, he was already wielding the keyblade. He went through the same thing you went through. You saw it, don't you? The place with the stained glass?" She asked.

Of course he remembered that. Did that happen to everyone? Was he really unable to run from his fate?

"…What about you? Where did you got yours? You own a keyblade too, don't you?" He asked back, trying to change the topic. Seeing how he didn't want to talk about what will happen to him.

"No, I don't own a keyblade." She shook her head then looked down.

"Eh? But… you just said that only a keyblade bearer could…"

"That's because I have this." She said as she showed a star-shaped charm to Roxas. "This has also been programmed by Ansem. This allows me to move when the spell is intact." She smiled then puts it back to her pocket.

"Why would you do that?" He asked in surprise.

"What do you mean?" She returned with a confused look.

"Well, if you don't have that, everything will move just normally, right? So, why bother?" He asked as he looked down. Now he felt very ashamed. "Why did you get yourself involved in this?"

"…Roxas, no one wanted this to happen. Ansem is at fault, and he had tried his hard to stop everything until his death. , Terra,Aqua, Riku, Kairi, and Sora, they are trying their best to stop everything. How could I back down from their hardwork? Besides… I'm already involved ever since the start." She looked down before taking a deep breath.

"Roxas, I am Ansem's daughter." She confessed. "I am bound to this. I'm just like you, and everyone else. I can't run from this, no. I mustn't run from this. Face the truth, that's the option I have chosen." She said with a smile. Roxas couldn't say anything but to listen to the young girl's explanation. She, whom he thought as a fragile angel, quieter than those of a mouse, had a very brave heart.

"Naminé…" He muttered slowly before lifting his face up with a determined look. "…Thanks." He said with a smile. He's already part of this. He couldn't back down. He's needed. "I was… confused, back then. Sorry. Sorry for being so…pathetic." He apologized. Then she smiled.

"No, I'm sorry. It was my father's fault that you're involved in this, but… Thank you, Roxas." She smiled again.

Then the bell rang. It warned them that they only have 10 minutes until the next class.

"Wha? It's this time already? Damn, if I don't hurry there won't be anything left at the cafeteria!" Roxas shouted as he suddenly stood up. Due to Ven's condition, he hadn't had the time to make his own lunchbox. Nor did Ven made one for him. He's left with the cafeteria food.

"E-eh? Don't you bring a lunchbox, Roxas? I mean, Sora said that you always bring a lunchbox, so I called you at lunchtime… I thought you won't need to go to the cafeteria…I'm sorry…" She said with an apologetic look. She seemed to be really regretting her actions that she looked like she wanted to cry.

"It's not your fault. I agreed to came, didn't I?" He tried to cheer her up before she clapped her hand and turned to reach for something in her bag. "I almost forgot!" She said as she showed him a packed bento.

"Kairi said that she'll have lunch with Sora. So she didn't take her bento. Would you like to eat it?" She offered. There are two lunchboxes in the package. One which seemed to be Naminé's.

"Can I?" He asked as she nodded happily. He then took a seat and took the lunchbox from her. "Thanks." He said before trying a bite. Unfortunately, it tasted worse than how it looked.

"…Naminé? I'm sorry to ask, but...how exactly did you cook this?" He asked with a really pained face. He tried his best not to show it. But he just couldn't help it. The rice ball was so hard to chew and… too sour for goodness's sake.

"Eeh? But I only added soy-sauce…" Naminé said with an apologetic look. 'She must be mistaken the soy-sauce with vinegar…' He thought as he chewed another on another one. "Oh! You don't have to eat it… It's bad after all…" She said as she looked down, covering her face with her bangs.

"…It's fine. I'm hungry, so everything tastes good now." He said as he devoured everything quickly. "Oh? This one is good." He said as he showed her a half-burnt sausage. She smiled slightly at that.

"…Actually, I don't know how to cook." She confessed again. "Kairi is always better than me. Even after she taught me, I still make lots of mistakes. I… I don't know. Everything I touch burns…" She muttered to him.

"Don't worry, you're still learning." He chuckled. "I'm sure, you'll get better at this soon." He smiled at her. She blushed upon hearing him, then looked down again, this time, her cheeks red as cherries. "W-will you…" She muttered quietly. "Will you, try it again? My cooking…" She muttered as she looked at him with a shy face.

His face flushed a bit at her shyness, then looked away. "O-of course." He answered.

She flushed happily.

"I'm home." He said as he reached his home. He couldn't stop thinking about today's lunchbreak. Although he didn't really know why he couldn't. His thought made him didn't realize that the light was lit.

"Welcome back, Roxas." Ven greeted from the sofa.

"Ven?" He shouted as he ran to his twin, whom jerked in surprise seeing his brother's sudden movement.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling? Have you eat? I'm sorry I left-" He was stopped by Ven.

"I'm okay, Roxas. I just… I don't know. I suddenly felt dizzy before passing out. When I came to, it was already noon." He chuckled. Roxas then checked up Ven's temperature. It did seem normal, though.

"Anyways, where did you go, Roxas? It's rare for you to come home this late." He asked as he checked the clock. It was six already.

"I-I uh…" He stopped. He can't say that he was with Sora and the others, learning the basic of holding a keyblade. He desperately looked for a bluff until Ven stroke his hair. "You had fun with your friends?" Ven asked. At which Roxas can only said yes. "That's good, Roxas." He smiled. Roxas can only look down. He never thought that lying to Ven would be this… painful.

"Oh, there's something I forgot to tell you." He said, Roxas could hear him mutter something about him fainting among the process.

"That was a great match, Roxas." He smiled.

Roxas couldn't help but look away. His heart guilty and hurt.

Thank you for reading. X3


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. :3 Also, it's a little late for this, but thanks PenguinObsessed and JayDex for the reviews X3.

It was nighttime. Ven had gone to bed after their dinner. Even though he said he was completely recovered, Roxas could still feel the slight exhausted tone in his words. Which made him send Ven off to bed soon after dinner and let him clean the rest.

He waited and waited.

It was 11 at night when he heard a beep from his cellphone. It was a text from Sora.

[Meeting at Rooftop on 12. See ya guys!]

Roxas quickly let the phone slid into his pocket before he checked Ven's condition. His twin was deep in sleep. He smiled gladly at that, and then left secretly without making any noise. He locked the door and then quickly left the dorm.

"I'm here." He said as he reached the rooftop. Naminé was the first one to greet him. Almost everyone was there, only Riku and Eraqus were absent.

"Riku and the master are in the base. You remember, right? The one at the library." Terra explained as Aqua filled him in. "Riku is researching Ansem's reports, so he don't help us often. Me and Riku often change shifts. So you won't see us very often. The master had to stay, because he's monitoring everything."

"Apparently there are more hidden writings than the one I showed you this morning, Roxas. So Riku is staying in the library in case there are more hidden ones." Naminé said as again she held his hand. "Good luck, Roxas." She said to him.

"Naminé, how come you never say good luck to me?" Sora said, protesting as Roxas blushed. "But, Sora, don't you have Kairi to…" She wasn't able to finish her words when Kairi butted in. "Naminé!" She pouted, then looked at Sora with a murderous look.

"I-I'm sorry, Kairi! I was just joking! No! Stop that! That's a keyblade! Kairi!" Sora shouted as he ran away from Kairi's chase. Terra and Aqua just chuckled, commenting on how they looked adorable together.

"…That reminds me. Kairi also hold a keyblade, right? Why didn't she join the fight yesterday?" Roxas asked. The other blonde looked down. She seemed like she was about to explain, but she refrained herself from doing so.

"It's…because of me…" She muttered. Her voice very quiet that Roxas had a hard time to listen to her. "It's…because I'm…" Again, she was unable to finish her words.

"It's because I want to be with her." Kairi stated, behind her was a half-beaten, half-burnt Sora. She approached the blonde and head-butted her on the head. "I'm here because I want to be here, Naminé. You're precious to me, and to everyone else. That's why I'll always be by your side. So… don't blame yourself." She said with a smile. "Besides, I believe that without me, everyone will do fine. Right, Sora? You have my charm after all." She said as she smiled to Sora, whom smiled back at her.

She then looked at Roxas and gave him a murderous look. In which Roxas wondered what he did wrong.

"I won't forgive you if you make her cry." She stated before looked away.

'Wha? What's that? A declaration of…war?' He thought before he saw Sora approaching.

"Naminé has a special ability. She can tell where the heartless or nobody will come. However, she is unable to wield the keyblade. That's why Kairi stayed with her, in case anything happens." Sora whispered to him. That makes sense now.

"_There's something I forgot to tell you." Naminé said, right before Roxas returned to his class. _

"_Don't tell anyone about this. Not even your brother." She stated as she wrapped up the lunchbox. "And… look at your cellphone tonight." She said, ending their conversation before returning to her own class. _

"Say, Sora." Roxas called as he watched the starry night. "What are we supposed to do here?" He asked, still oblivious to what's going to happen.

"You'll know soon enough." Sora said with a grin. And he was right. Naminé has detected something coming from the sky. It seems to be getting closer and closer.

"Get your keyblade ready, Roxas!" Sora yelled in excitement as he drew his Kingdom Key while Roxas his Oathkeeper and Oblivion. As he shouted, three figures appear at the shine of the moon. Each carrying a similar figure without wings with them. As they reached the school, each of them dropped the figures they were carrying, revealing them to be Heartless.

"Here they comes, let's go everyone!" Sora yelled as he charged into the heartless. Naminé and Kairi had secured themselves far behind and close to the stairs. Aqua backing them up with her spells and Terra, being Terra, just charge on his enemies like some kind of rhinoceros or something.

Roxas, being a more collected fighter than Sora decided not to get too close to the enemy and strike them from behind. So far, his strategy was doing well. That was until the three flying heartless called for their friend. Five more air soldiers came with each carrying their cousin, the soldier with them.

Again, they dropped the reinforcement to attack.

"If we don't do something about those flying heartless, it won't end!" Aqua shouted as she casted her spell on the flying heartless. Too bad the flying heartless were faster than her magic. The air soldier then hovered, before quickly flew down and strike on Aqua.

"Aqua!" Terra shouted. He quickly dashed to her aide. Blocking the next air soldier aiming at her. "I'm okay. Heal!" She shouted as she casted a magic to heal herself.

They have managed to defeat all of the soldier heartless, however, none of their attacks can reach the hovering soldiers. And they seem to be mocking them. Which angered Sora even more.

"If only he's here…" Aqua muttered. In which caught Roxas's attention. "Riku?" He asked. Aqua suddenly panicked and answered his question. "N-no, It's… the Master! Yeah! Master Eraqus. I was hoping for Master Eraqus, right, Terra?" She asked as she looked at him with a begging face. Terra, also hesitating nodded with a slightly panicked look.

"Y-yeah! Of course!" Terra replied. Roxas was about to question them further, but he was wise enough to let them go. The fight still goes on and he didn't want to abandon Sora just like that.

"Damn it. We can't win if we stayed on the ground…!" Sora stated as he realized something. He started yelling and then threw his keyblade into the air. Performing a strike raid move. Surprisingly, it hits, although barely. "Hey, it works!" Sora shouted as he caught his keyblade back.

"Nice move, Sora!" Kairi cheered from behind before she noticed a change of expression on her senior's face.

Both Terra and Aqua stared blankly at Sora, as if remembering something. But then they quickly broke away from their thought and continue their attacks. With Aqua casting thunder at the sliding down air soldiers and Terra charging at whoever got electrocuted by Aqua.

"Roxas! You should try throwing your keyblade to the air too! Trust me, it works! And besides, you got two with you, so it'll double the damage…" He quieted down. Roxas was staring blankly at the sky where the air soldiers were panicking. "Roxas? Are you okay?" Sora called with a worried expression on his face.

But the blonde replied with a smile.

The air around him started to move. It's as if Roxas was controlling them. He smiled kindly at the change of wind and then threw his keyblades. The movement was similar to Sora. However, they didn't return immediately.

Instead, the wind was carrying his keyblades. They spun around and beat the heartless until nothing is left.

When the keyblade returned to him, Roxas returned to his senses. "Huh? Wh-what just happened?" He muttered to himself as he examined his keyblades. The wind no longer linger around him.

"Ama~zing! Roxas! How did you do that? That was amazing Roxas! Brilliant!" Sora yelled as he ran to him and glomped him down. Kairi and Naminé soon approached them with smiles on their face. "There are no more Heartless, we can rest now." Naminé stated as she made another check with her ability.

Everyone was happy. But not Terra and Aqua. Both of them wear the sorrowful face. However, they managed to hid their expression before anyone noticed.

Eraqus soon appeared with Riku tagging along and thanked them for their hard work before they were all dismissed.

"You should go back. I thought I'd explain you everything tonight, but you're tired enough. I'll explain tomorrow in the art room… Oh…with the bento…as well." Naminé said with a shy face before she disappeared along with Kairi and Aqua to the girl's dorm. The girl's dorm were on the other side of the boy's dorm.

'What was that power?' Roxas thought as he clenched his fist. He can still feel the flow of energy coming from him. The flow that controlled the wind. He didn't know where it came from, but it was there. It was definitely there. He just didn't know how to control it.

"Well, see you later, Roxas! Terra!" Sora waved goodbye as he entered his and Riku's room. Terra went to the room next to his as Roxas entered his own. He quickly get changed and then slumped into his own bed after taking another check on Ven. Which seemed to be still sleeping peacefully.

He smiled at the solitude.

Roxas woke up to find Ven already gone. He heard sound from the bathroom so he might be still in the shower. Just as he walked out from the room, Ven also came out from the shower. His face looked sad.

"Ven? What's wrong?" He asked as he approached him. His older twin looked surprise hearing his voice. He was too deep in thought that he didn't notice Roxas was already up. "Ah, Roxas, good morning." He smiled before returning to that sad face. "It's nothing, actually. I just… had a bad dream." He said to him as he chuckled lightly.

"Bad dream? Like, nightmare?" He asked. But his twin only looked down. "…No, I think it's a bad dream, but… I can't seem to remember it." He chuckled again before walking to the refrigerator to check on their supplies.

"Well, don't think too much about it. It's just a dream after all." Roxas suggested before he went to take shower. "Oh, and Ven? You don't have to make bento for me today." He added as he went to the bathroom.

"…? Well, if you said so." His older twin replied with a confused face as he prepared everything for school.

Today was the last day of the orientation session. It's during this day that the seniors collected the junior agendas and checked if there's anyone lacking off. He was glad that Ven was able to finish his. Terra had actually taken his junior agenda, and completed it for him. Those who don't complete their agenda shall receive punishment. The punishment varies. It can be cleaning the toilet, squat jumps, or run for 10 laps.

The next activity is to have a tour of every clubs in the school. This school was big enough that it takes a lot of time visiting every clubs. Terra was in the Kendo club. What's more, he's the captain of it. It seems like no one is stronger than him in the club whilst Aqua is the captain of the archery club, adored by both boys and girls. Sadly, no one can approach her whenever Terra is around.

Sora and Riku has decided to join the blitzball club while Kairi signed up for the cheerleading team. Naminé, being Naminé has found her place in the art room.

It seemed to him that he was the only one who doesn't have a club. Even Ven has found his place in the library. For some reason, he has a thing for books, and has already got signed up as a committee.

"Hey, Roxas? Have you decided on any clubs yet?" Hayner asked with a grin, a struggle bat on his hand. "No, have you?" He replied as he chuckled. It's obvious that the boy has just joined the struggle team. And Roxas was right as he saw the boy grin and swirl his bat.

"Whaddya say, Roxas?" He asked as he pointed the handle of the Struggle bat at Roxas. The blonde smirked and pulled the bat from him. "Sounds fine to me." He smirked. Then the two laughed. Unknown to him that Ven was watching him from afar, smiling as he watched Roxas laugh.

'He'll do fine… He'll be alright.' Ven thought as he walked away.

Thank you for reading. X3

Review helps me. Would you be willing to help? :3


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. :3 Also, it's a little late for this, but thanks PenguinObsessed and JayDex for the reviews X3.

"It tastes better. You're getting better at this." He chuckled lightly as he tasted on Naminé's lunchbox. She made an omelet today, and although it barely survived from the burn, it tasted slightly good.

She smiled happily as Roxas praised her cooking.

" Say, about last night…" He muttered as he ate another bite. "The one we beat was Heartless, right?" He asked. Naminé nodded in response.

"Yes, you are right. Heartless were different than Nobodies. They are created from darkness that lurks at the other side of the door, which has been opened by Ansem. Heartless feeds on human's hearts. When one's heart is stolen, the empty body shall become a nobody. Roxas, do you remember what happened to Vivi, yesterday?" She asked.

He remembered, of course. In his struggle match, the boy suddenly emitted evil aura, and suddenly, the nobodies appear.

"…Vivi's heart has been stolen by the Heartless. His body has turned into nobodies. However, by beating both the heartless and the nobody, Vivi has returned back to normal." She explained.

"Heartless, they are made of darkness. That's why they can only appear at night, and they appear every night. That is why we must have a night patrol every nobodies, however, may appear at any time." She said.

"You said that in order to return someone whose heart is stolen, you need to destroy both the heartless and the nobody?" He asked. He was slightly surprised when she said that they must come to school every single night. Then again, time was slowed down during the heartless's appearance. Besides, it's not like he could protest about it. She nodded and then explained. "The heartless that stole Vivi's heart has been destroyed by Sora and the others." She said with a smile.

"…Then, how did that happen? I mean, how did he have his heart stolen?" He asked again.

"The night before you got your keyblade, Vivi came to school, and… well, we didn't know why. His heart has fallen to darkness already, and so the Heartless targeted him. By the time we managed to destroy the heartless, it was too late."

"…So you waited until his nobodies appear?" He asked again before taking another bite of the lunch Naminé made.

"Yes." She nodded.

"…Isn't there any way to stop these Heartless? Where is that door Ansem created anyways?" He asked. This time, she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, even I don't know. It's only known that he created this door." She replied.

"Was that why Riku stayed, yesterday? To look for clues?" He asked.

She nodded again and then explained. "It is unknown if whether Ansem hid the rest of the reports, or it is hidden within the ones we have found. That is why, Riku and Aqua were trying to look for clues in the reports we have." She said, then looked down.

"…I'm sorry, if my father didn't make that door, none of this would have happened." She said with a guilty tone.

"…Naminé…" He muttered, and then sighed. "There… must be a reason for this." He said. "Your father, he didn't write anything about why he created such door." He said. She can only remained silent. "So, there must be a reason. And you have to believe in him." He said to her. She smiled in return. "Thank you, Roxas." She muttered.

"You're welcome." He smiled.

"…You looked happy, Roxas." Ven commented when they decided to go home together. Last period was nothing but bunch of advices and comments from the seniors. Especially from the student council.

"Do not." He said then looked away from Ven. Ven chuckled and then teased him. "What? Did you get someone you liked?" He asked.

Bull's eye.

"O-of course not!" He denied. However, Ven knew him better than anyone else. "Oh, come on, you can tell your older brother, who is it?" He asked.

"W-what are you saying Ven? Don't make things up!" He said with a slight blush on his face.

"Hmm… is that why you didn't want a lunchbox today? Did she made you a lunchbox? Such a kind girl you found, Roxas." He teased again. Roxas could say nothing. His face completely red.

"Aww, my baby brother has finally grown up. I'm happy for you~" He grinned.

"Shut up, Ven!" He yelled with a blushing face.

"If you said so." He chuckled. Then, he suddenly stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked, Ven's face paled. As if he saw a monster or something. Far away from them was a red-haired man walking with another man with blue hair. It was Axel.

"Axel? What's wrong with him?" He asked Ven again. This time, Ven looked down and trembled slightly. "Ven? Are you okay?" Roxas tried again. Ven still won't answer before he suddenly took Roxas's hand and pulled him away from the place.

"Ven? What's wrong with you? Hey, let me go!" Roxas yelled as he tried to break free from Ven's grip. But his brother just won't let him. It was after they reached their dorm that Ven released his grip.

"…Really, what's gotten into you? Why did you suddenly –"

"Don't get near him, Roxas." Ven stated.

"Huh? Do you mean Axel? I don't think he's-" Again, he was cut off.

"Listen to me, Roxas." Ven said with a cold tone. It was rare to see Ven like this. In fact, this might be his first of ever seeing one.

"Those guys, they're bad news. Just… don't get near them." Ven muttered before entering their room.

"…If you said so." Roxas said before following him in. Unable to decline his request.

That night, they spent their dinner in silence.

"Ven did that?" Aqua asked in curiosity. Roxas was trying to find out what's between Ven and Axel. However, it seemed like neither Aqua nor Terra knew the answer when he asked them at his second night gathering. "It's rare to see Ven mad… No, I don't think I've ever seen him mad before." Terra added.

"I see, so you don't know either, huh?" He muttered.

"Guys! The master wanted to speak." Kairi called. Namine was behind her. They were soon led to the white room again. Eraqus was waiting. Along with Sora and Riku. Terra and Aqua quickly bowed down whilst Kairi and Naminé just smiled. He never knew that Terra and Aqua respected him so. It was never seen. Perhaps they were hiding it.

"Well, everyone. It is good news that our numbers are increasing. Today, I would like to form an annihilation team. In order to lessen the burden of everyone. I would like to create shifts over our night watch. Of course, I will be participating every night. Until now, Terra and Aqua has been doing great job watching over the school. But now, we have Sora, Roxas as well. I think it's time to make shifts." Eraqus stated.

"Master, we don't really mind…" Aqua stated while blushing. How she loved being praised by the master. "I have trained the thr..." He coughed before continuing. "Two of you ever since you're little brats. But Riku, Kairi, Sora, and especially Roxas has just awakened their keyblade not too long ago. It won't do them good if they have to fight the heartless every night." He explained.

Terra and Aqua nodded in union. Sora looked slightly displeased, but agreed in a way while Riku just kept his cool.

"…Father, what about Naminé?" Roxas asked.

To his question, Eraqus only sighed. It pained him to answer.

"I'll stay." Naminé stated with a smile. "If Naminé stays, then I will, too!" Kairi exclaimed with a determined face. "But, Kairi…" She muttered, at which the maroon haired protested. "I refuse to be nowhere near you, Naminé." She said.

"Then, I'll –"

"You rest, Roxas." Eraqus stated. He was surprised by the master's cold tone. Then he glared at his foster father. "Kairi, you too, rest. Only Naminé should come every night." He stated again, then glanced at the pale skinned girl.

"I am sorry to ask you this, Naminé." He apologized to the frail girl, at which he received a kind smile from her.

"Well then, I've had Riku assembled the schedule for you. Will you, Riku?" He said as he looked at the silver haired. The boy then walked to the center of everyone and unwrapped a big paper.

A total of seven days were written with everyone's names under every days.

Monday : Terra, Riku, Sora

Tuesday : Aqua, Roxas, Kairi

Wednesday : Terra, Sora, Roxas

Thursday : Aqua, Riku, Kairi

Friday : Terra, Roxas, Riku

Saturday : Terra, Aqua, [?]

Sunday : Aqua, Sora, Kairi

"Huh? What is with this question mark?" Sora asked as he pointed at the marks on Saturday. Soon after everyone noticed that, they all looked at Riku with curiosity.

"It's a free day. I believe both Terra and Aqua are used to the night work. Anyone may come. But other than that, they have no responsibility to come at this day." Eraqus explained. All seven of them quietly agreed. None can fight against his will.

"This schedule shall be followed starting tomorrow. With that, dismissed." Eraqus stated before he turned back to the monitor, watching every surveillance camera he secretly put in the school.

"Well, then. Are they here yet, Naminé ?" Riku asked. Naminé concentrated to try looking for the Heartless's aura, but she found none.

"No, not yet, Riku." She said as she shook her head.

"Then whaddya say we go out and take patrol?" Sora suggested. At which everyone agreed.

They each went out in pairs. The pairings were decided through a game of Rock, Paper, Scissor. Terra went with Riku, Aqua with Kairi, and Sora with Roxas.

Terra and Riku has decided to walk around the school to look for any abnormality. Aqua and Kairi stayed with Naminé in the white room with Aqua teaching Kairi some tricks of her magics. Sora and Roxas was left with patrolling the School's grounds.

They ended up resting near the school's pool.

"Whoa, look Roxas! The sky's bright tonight!" Sora exclaimed. It's true that the sky was clear tonight, which was rarely seen. They spent a few moments resting in silence as they watched the sky. It was filled with countless stars.

"…Somehow." Sora stated. Roxas turned and face him. Sora was smiling. "Somehow, it felt like this isn't the first time I spent a time with you like this, you know, under the stars, close to the sound of water…" He muttered. Then he stared at Roxas's face.

"…What is it?" He asked, obviously disliked how Sora stared at him.

"Ah, Sorry. It's weird, though. Wherever this feeling came from." He muttered again, then glanced back to the sky.

"Maybe it's just your feeling." Roxas replied, he did the same thing as Sora.

"Yeah, you're right." Sora chuckled.

Then suddenly, his phone rang. It was Kairi.

"Heya, Kairi, what's up?" He answered cheerfully.

"The Heartless…" Kairi muttered, her voice trembled slightly. It seemed like she was in a shock or something.

"Kairi? What's wrong? Has the Heartless appear? Where are they?" He asked, but then he felt a tug of his clothes, Roxas's face paled, he was pulling on Sora's Jacket.

"The Heartless… they… they…" Kairi muttered, her voice still in a state of shock.

"Sora… look at them." Roxas said, his voice in similar state of Kairi's.

"They look just like you, Sora." Kairi finished.

Before the two of them, there stood many Heartless, all of them in form of Sora.

"Why do they look like Sora?" Riku yelled as he bashed on the Heartless wildly alongside Terra. They were in the school corridors when they saw a shadow of Sora, thinking it was him until Aqua called Terra and explained the situation.

"How should I know?" Terra yelled back as he dashed and performed Ars Solum on the multiple Sora – Heartless.

"Battling here won't do us any good. Let them chase us to the grounds!" Terra yelled at his subordinate. "Roger" Riku replied as they make run for it.

"Riku! Terra!" Sora yelled when he spotted them running to the school ground.

"Sora!" Riku called back and immediately approached them.

"The real thing?" Terra added. Sora pouted at his comment. "They keep appearing. How are we supposed to kill them all?" Roxas asked. The two of them, Sora and Roxas has cleared the path from the pool to the grounds. However, the Sora-Heartless were endless and it seemed like there are no end to this.

"We have to find the source. We have to find out where they appear and destroy whatever it is that makes them appear." Terra pointed out.

"But how are we gonna do that?" Sora asked. Terra hadn't a chance to answer before his cellphone rang. "Good grief, Aqua!" He said as he answered the phone.

"…Is it true? Right. I'll check it out." He said before hanging up. "Naminé has found out the source. It's close to us. Search this place thoroughly!" Terra commanded. The other three nodded in unison and then split up. Beating the countless Sora-heartless and look for the whatever causing them to keep appearing.

It was then they heard a psychotic laughter, followed by a sudden appearance of a dark purplish hollow.

"What was that?" Sora asked as suddenly a boy whose face was hidden by the helmet he wore appeared.

"You called that a fight? What a laugh." The masked boy laughed again. There was something from him that felt different from any other beings. Anyone could feel that his own existence emitted evil aura, and pure darkness.

"Who are you?" Terra yelled at him as he blocked the Sora-heartless that surrounded them.

"Me? I'm nothing. After all, you guys will all die here." He laughed again and then bent his arm, gathering the energy of the heartless as they were absorbed into the boy. Then the boy glanced at Roxas. He laughed and then used the gathered Heartless to summon a more powerful being.

"W-what is that?" Sora yelled as the gathered Heartless formed a bigger being. It has long hair and a hole shaped like a heart on its chest. It was as big as the Nobody that they fought the other day.

"Hmph, let's see what you've got." The masked boy said, still glancing at Roxas. But none took attention at him.

Soon after it's completed, the dark heartless attacked by swinging its arm to the ground, attempting to punch at them. Its attack missed for they were faster than the heartless. However, the monster's attack created dark pool and gave birth to small heartless. Which was a bother since they had to take on them as well.

"I'll take care of the smaller ones. You guys take on that big one." Terra said as he launched himself to the small heartless. They kept trying to attack the monster. But the monster was far stronger than they thought. It barely received any damage.

"Sora!" Riku shouted. The monster was formed dark energy on its hole and then shot it to their direction. Riku was the first to notice and took the brunt of the attack while covering Sora from it.

"Riku!" Sora yelled and quickly caught him before he fell to the ground. Riku was injured badly. Sora tried to cast heal on him. The injuries healed; however, the dark force that caught him had adsorbed his energy and thus left him unconscious.

"Sora, take Riku away. We'll handle this." Terra commanded as he finished killing the small heartless. Unfortunately, the monster made another dark pool and summoned more small heartless. Giving Terra an endless job to do and left Roxas taking care of the big one alone.

"Hang on, Roxas! I'll be right back!" Sora yelled as he carried Riku away.

Roxas nodded and kept attacking with his dual keyblade. This time, the monster created a dark ball on its hand, and then shot it to the sky. The dark ball splitted into smaller orbs and fell from the sky. Making a rain of dark energy.

"Whoaaaaa!" Roxas shouted. A barrier suddenly appear before him and Terra. The barrier reflected the dark orb and hit the monster. Which made a good amount of damage.

"Aqua!" Terra sighed in relief. Aqua has arrived, along with Kairi. "Sorry, there are heartless blocking the way. We had a hard time passing through. Don't worry, the master has taken charge of Naminé." Aqua explained as both kairi and she joined the fight.

"Heal!" Kairi shouted as she healed both Terra and Roxas.

"Now this is a counter-attack!" Terra shouted as he activated his Critical Impact form and Aqua her Spellweaver form.

Terra's attacks has gotten stronger and Aqua got her magic heighten. They kept charging on the monster while Kairi healed them whenever they received damage. Aqua was in charge of protecting everyone with her barrier while the monster summoned its dark rain.

"Just a little more! Hang on everyone!" Terra yelled. He jumped and charged and then slammed his keyblade down to the monster. Forming a huge blast.

The monster was defeated.

"Finished!" Terra yelled. The masked boy laughed again. "We'll see…" He laughed before he disappeared into the same hollow of darkness. Roxas and Terra tried to chase after him. By the time they reached the dark hollow, it has already disappeared.

"Who is he?" Aqua asked.

"I don't know, but he seems to be controlling the heartless. Whatever he is, he's bad news." Terra tried to explain.

"…He's… dark. I don't know, I don't like him." Kairi stated.

"At least, let's report to the master. We have to check on Riku's condition as well." Aqua suggested.

As they began to return to the homebase, Roxas stayed for a while. His mind filled with the image of the masked boy. It felt as if he knew him. He can't get him off his head.

"Roxas, come on!" Kairi called. Her voice caught him and disturbed his thought.

"Yeah!" He yelled and chased after the three.

'Who is he?' He thought as he followed them.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. :3

"Morning, Roxas." Ven greeted. Today he felt really horrible. Battling the countless Sora-Heartless plus the big one really worn him out. Both his face and hair were messy. He could hear Ven being a worry-wart and question him many things, in which he hoped he could slip away.

However, Ven didn't do that. Instead, his eyes were staring blankly at the floor. "…Ven?" He called. No response. "Ven." He tried again. Still no response. "What's wrong, Ven?" This time he tapped on the boy's shoulder.

"Wah!" Ven cried out. Then focused his eyes on Roxas, whom examined him with a worried face. "What's wrong? You've been weird lately." Roxas asked. His twin then looked down again. His eyes looking even sadder than yesterday.

"…I had a bad dream." He muttered then chuckled. "Yeah, I shouldn't think much of it. I'll go ahead first, okay?" He said before he turned and walk away.

"…Sure." Roxas replied before he went to the shower.

Today was the first day they had actual lessons. His first period was chemistry, taught by Professor. Vexen. The man was rather mysterious and scary. He seems to be obsessed to the subject he was teaching that he didn't even notice some of the students had fallen asleep on his theoretic explanations.

In the end, all Roxas could catch from Vexen's explanations were "Homeworks from page 5 to 11."

He yawned as he walked to the art club. He couldn't help but wonder what Naminé made for him today. Which, of course won't be very appetizing. However, he could dream, couldn't he?

With that in thought, he walked to the art club while humming.

Lunch Break – Library

_scribble scribble_

"…"

_scribble scribble_

"…khu…Not good… I can't remember anything." Ven muttered as he scratched the page he was writing on. He slumped his head to the desk, trying to get some rest. His head was pounding like crazy. It has been like that ever since morning, no. Ever since he got the first nightmare. He told Roxas that he didn't remember. It hurts him to lie, however, he didn't want to make Roxas worry.

"…Just what… is that." He muttered to himself. An image of three boys in black coats appeared to his mind. The first one was a boy with blue hair, the other has fiery red hair. The two looked just like the two people he saw yesterday. The third person was a child no older than 10. He looked exactly like him. Yet he didn't remember ever meeting the other two. The child was holding a key-like weapon. His eyes lifeless just like a living doll. His body covered by scraps and injuries. He was bleeding, the boy.

However, what worried Ventus the most was what the two called the boy.

"_Roxas." _The red-haired said.

And that memory stuck in his head.

"…Who are they?" He muttered again as he began scribbling again. He tried to withdraw more memories from scribbling the vision he had. The result was none.

Giving up on the first, he then started to draw on the second. This time, it was an image of a smiling bald man, and a shining "X" on his hand. The man walked to him.

_"__"χ"... A most ancient letter. Some say "kye," but the meaning is the same. Death... A letter that spells endings.__" The man said. _

His head hurts. He tried to hold it in; however, trying to remember these memories that flashed through his minds just pained him. And he couldn't help it. He lied down and stared at the ceilings.

"…It's only a dream." He told himself. It would be good if it was a dream. No, it must be only a dream. There's no way it could happened. Roxas has always been with him. Along with Terra, Aqua, and their stepfather. The five of them has always been together.

"…only a dream?" A voice whispered on his ear. The blonde was surprised and quickly stood from his chair and turned to face the whisperer. However he could find no one but bookcases.

"…Must be my imagination…" He told himself then decided to put away the books he took. It was then another hand stopped his. He looked up to find a boy with golden eyes and black hair, smiling evilly at him.

"Who are you?" He growled. He didn't know why, but he could feel that this boy was emitting evil aura. It made him sick. It gave him lots of pressure, as if he was going to be eaten away. Somehow, just making contact with him sapped his energy.

Ven gave the boy a sharp glare, but the boy replied him with an evil grin. The boy tightened his grip on Ven's arm. Ven tried to break free, but the boy's strength was beyond his. At least, him at the moment. "Let me go." He ordered as he tried to pull his hand. The boy's hand was cold, as cold as ice.

"You better hurry, Ventus." The boy smirked before he harshly threw Ven's arm away. Leaving the boy in confusion. "What do you mean hurry?" He asked with an anger tone. Although, he couldn't yell for he was in the library.

The boy smirked again and this time he reached out his hands to catch Ven's face. He leered and at the same time, a painful jolt reached Ven's head. "Nggh… wha…?" He tried to stand, but soon after the pain reached him, he lost his balance and fell. Both of his hands reached his head. It was so painful to bear.

Then he saw a dream.

He was in a tube. He felt blank and empty. As if he was dying. Before him stood the same bald man and another boy. The boy has similar black hair and golden eyes. The bald man smiled at him. "Forge the X-blade…"

Then everything went blank.

"Roxas!" a voice shouted. He returned to reality. His head still hurts like crazy. His vision blurred and the last thing he remembered was that the black haired boy smiled to him.

"Roxas! Are you alright?" The same voice asked him. The voice's owner lifted him a bit and examined him. Slowly, his vision cleared up. The voice's owner turned out to be a boy, whose face was identical to the black haired. The only difference was that his hair was brown.

"…No…I'm Ventus." He said as he tried to lift his body up. The headache has disappeared. But he was still a bit dizzy. "…Huh? What are you talking about, Rox-" Then the boy stopped, as if remembered something.

"Ah, that's right. He has a twin brother." The boy said again then offered Ven a hand to help him up. Which was gratefully accepted by Ven.

"Thanks." He said as he smiled. He examined the boy carefully. Since he mentioned Roxas, he should be Roxas's friend. The way he was so familiar to the black haired crept him up a bit, then again, he might have dreamed that up. He was unsure which was real, now.

"You're welcome! I'm Sora. Nice to meet you, Ventus!" He grinned. This boy was lively and cheerful. So very different from the other one he saw. He must have dreamed that up.

"Oh, you can just call me Ven. Nice to meet you, Sora." He said. Then he looked around. Trying to find the black haired. But his attempts were futile.

"Say, Ven. Why were you laying on the floor just now?" Sora asked.

"Well, I felt dizzy just now and… well, I guess I must have fainted." He chuckled, deciding to keep it a secret for now. "Are you okay? I heard you also fainted on the other day." Sora asked with a worried face. Ven just smiled at him.

"I'm okay. Don't worry." He said with a smile.

"Well, if you say so." Sora chuckled.

"Well, do you need any help?" Ventus asked, which made Sora confused. Sora was unsure what to answer him until Ven chuckled and showed him the library arm band attached to his arm. Proofing himself to be an official library committee.

"I see. Well, I need help finding a reference book for Chemistry." He smiled as he scratched the back of his head. "The Chemistry books are this way. Please come with me." He said as he led the way.

Lunch Break – Art Club

"Are you sure it's okay to use this room everytime? We could have just eat in your class or mine, you know." Roxas asked. Namine was smiling happily. It seemed like whatever she made today had turned out good. "It's okay. I've got permission from . This is where I like to sort the clues we found." She said.

"Clues?" He asked. Then she showed him the scrapped paper, Ansem's Reports. He smiled in understanding.

"…I wanted to know everything. The truth behind my father's intentions… and… what he's like." She said then gave Roxas the packed lunchbox. "I was so small when it all happened, so I remembered only little about him…" She said, faking her smile. But then she turned and

"Shall we eat, then?" She asked. He nodded then examined the bento she made. It was sushi. Although the size was a little bit off, it looked fine enough. 'I wonder… I don't think this is the right time to ask…' He thought as he tried the sushi.

"How is it?" She asked shyly. And he tried his best to smile. He could feel his tongue burns. He was sweating hard. "N-naminé…" He panted. She looked pale looking at him. He was desperately trying to hold himself from running away and find himself some water. "How much wasabi did you put in?" He asked. Trying to hint her her faults.

"Eh? Was it too much? I thought you must make the wasabi visible…" She muttered before she saw him making pale face while struggling against the spiciness. "Kyaaa! Roxas! Water! Water!" She screamed as she reached for the iced tea she brought along.

"Aah, I'm saved…" Roxas muttered after he drank the water. "I'm sorry…" She apologized. He chuckled and patted her head. "It's fine, I don't hate spicy food. It's just…You put in too much wasabi." He smiled.

"But I failed again, didn't I?" She sighed.

"Well, they said that failure is the road to success." He attempted to cheer her up.

"…Thank you, Roxas." She smiled.

"No problem. After all, we're all friends, now, right?" He chuckled.

"…Yes." She blushed happily.

Roxas couldn't help but smile sheepishly all through the rest of the day. He was way happy, and that was obviously shown on his face. Although, that didn't last long.

'Where's Ven?' He thought as he looked around the corridor. Ven was usually there, waiting for him and then they'd walk home together. 'Should I pick him up?' He thought, but then he felt a pat on his shoulder.

"Ven?" He turned only to find Hayner puzzled. "Oh, what's up Hayner?" He asked. The other boy grinned and asked him out along with Pence and Olette to enjoy an ice cream together in their 'secret base' which they're about to show Roxas.

He made a glance to Ven's classroom before agreeing. 'His classroom is already empty. Maybe he went ahead?' He thought before he followed the group.

'He went ahead today, too. What's gotten into him?' He thought again before brushing it off his head and hurried to catch up with the others.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. :3 (Yesh, I decided to release 2 chapters at the same time… Sorry for keeping this up w)

"X-blade…" Ven muttered. He kept looking for information about this X-blade. He scribbled down everything in his notebook. The three memories he had. The pieces of mystery. He was scared to know, yet he felt as if he needed to know. And that black haired boy wasn't helping. He only made everything worse.

'Better hurry, Ventus.' He remembered. What was there to hurry about? And how did he knew his name?

'So confusing…' He thought as he slumped his head again on the library desk. It was almost dark now. He wondered if he should go home soon. He didn't want Roxas to worry. Then again, Roxas was probably still out with Hayner.

He was waiting for Roxas to get out until he saw Hayner. They were in the same class, and their class got to get out earlier. Hayner had invited him to his (their) secret base, and told him that he wanted to show Roxas as well. It was then he decided to let Roxas go home alone while he continued his research in the library.

"…This is stupid, I must look crazy." He said as he read one of the psychological books he brought. It was luck that Sora didn't look at these books. Or else he won't know how to handle his embarrassment. 'What am I trying to do? I don't even knew if these memories were real…' He thought to himself as he kept reading.

_The Amnesias: A Clinical Textbook of Memory Disorders by Andrew _

_THE ORIGIN ANDMEANING OF DREAMS by _ERNEST HARTMANN, M.D.

_False-Memory Creation__in Children and Adults__ by __David F. Bjorklund_

And so on.

He read them all, and the more he read, the more confused he become. "…This is meaningless, I should go home, after all." He muttered as he put away the books and grabbed his bag.

"Going somewhere?" A familiar voice called. He flinched and turned around to see the same black haired boy smirking at him.

"You! How did you get in here?" He shouted at him. The boy just smirked and he seemed to enjoy his agitation.

"You should have known." The boy chuckled.

"…What do you want?" Ven hissed. He disliked this boy. He wanted to get out from the library as soon as he can. However, as much as he wanted to leave, he also wanted to know what this boy knew about him. It's clear that whoever this boy is, he was related to him.

"I'm testing." The black haired chuckled as he approached Ven slowly. In which the blond took small steps backwards, trying to distance him from the black haired.

"Well… shall we start?" The boy chuckled. Behind him appeared a black hollow. The black haired bent his arms and from the dark hollow there came an army of blue monsters. The blue monsters charged at him and disabled his every movement until he lost his balance. They wrapped around him. Leaving him completely useless.

"Let me go!" He yelled. This is not good, he couldn't break free from these little monsters. The black haired just approached him calmly, and then crouched down to his level. He smirked evilly and then covered his face with his hand.

Then everything went blank.

"See ya later, Roxas!" Pence said as he waved goodbye.

"Have a great weekend, Roxas." Olette followed.

"'til next time, buddy!" Hayner finished as the three disappeared to each one's house. They didn't live in the dorm. Their houses were close to school that they didn't need to live in the dorm.

Roxas watched until he couldn't see the three before leaving. He could hear the train's sound. It gave him a slight warm feeling that he wondered where it came from.

"…Ven's waiting." He told himself as he hurried to go home.

When he reached his room, all he could see was an empty room with no sign of Ven. Ven would usually be there, smiling at him and greeted him. Preparing dinner or ask him about his day.

He didn't get any of those today.

"…Ven?" He called. There was no response. He looked at the bedroom and the bathroom. Still no sign of Ven. His twin also didn't answer to his calls. He tried calling Terra and Aqua, but they also didn't about Ven's location.

He panicked and rushed outside. He searched the school. The library, it was locked. He kept trying to reach for Ven's cellphone, but all he could hear was the same message about the phone unreachable and please try again in a few minutes.

"Damn it, Ven! Where are you?" He told himself as he gritted his teeth and ran across the hallway to look for his brother.

He was angry, and scared at the same time. He couldn't even believe that he was feeling that way.

In the end, Ven was no longer in school. He lost his breath and decided to take a quick rest in front of the gate. 'Calm down, Roxas… He might be messing around with his friends…' He thought to himself as he watched the sky. It was completely nightfall.

'…No, Ven isn't the type to go out this late…' He thought again and walked aimlessly. That was when he met Terra and Aqua, also panting. It seemed like they had looked around the town. And seeing how Ven wasn't with them, it seemed like they also failed to find him.

"Roxas!" Aqua called as they caught up with him. "Aqua, Terra…did you find him?" He asked. Hoping to hear good answers from them although he already knew the truth.

"…I'm sorry, we're unable to find him anywhere. When was the last time you saw him?" Terra asked.

And he suddenly became guilty. Terra's voice echoed through his mind. The image of Ven, leaving their room this morning flashed to his mind. _"I'll go ahead first, okay?"_ Ven's words echoed. His heart raced. His mind become numb.

"Everyone!" A cheerful voice called.

For a moment, he felt joy. For a moment, he found hope. That cheerful voice sounded like Ven's. That was until he noticed that the voice was in a different tone. A more childish tone.

Sora was waving his hands in the air. Kairi, Riku, and Naminé tagged along behind him. They all smiled, completely oblivious to what's going on.

"Ven disappeared?" Sora jumped at Terra's explanation. Roxas kept silent.

"Yeah, did any of you seen him?" Terra asked. Riku looked away and Kairi scratched her face. Naminé shook her head. Neither of them had even met him.

"…Well, not after school… I saw him at lunch break in the library." Sora said. Hearing that, Roxas was slightly relieved. At least that meant that Ven was at school until school ended.

"He was acting weird, though… When I found him, he was lying on the floor. But he said that he was only dizzy. Oh! He's also reading weird things!" Sora explained.

Roxas cringed.

"The books he read has many difficult words… and oh! I remember the cover has something like 'Nightmare' on it! Oh, wait. This doesn't give clue at all?" Sora said with a confused look.

Then Roxas jumped at him. "He passed out?" He yelled as he grabbed Sora's collar.

"Roxas calm down!" Naminé shouted as she tried pulling him.

"Y-yes?" Sora answered. His eyes staring at Roxas's horrified face. Roxas must be very worried. Sora never thought that Roxas could snap like that. To him, it looked like Roxas was a calm and collected boy. The type to keep his cool like Riku.

Roxas let go of him. His face looked very guilty and lost. No one could say anything to him. They were left in silence for what seemed like 10 minutes.

"We mustn't give up. He must be somewhere. Right, everyone?" Naminé tried to raise the mood. Kairi smiled and agreed with her.

"That's right. If we give up now, we'll never find him." Kairi stated.

"…You're right." Roxas said as he stood. His eyes filled with determination.

They were ready to take off until Roxas's phone rang. He quickly read the caller id and pressed the answer button in insane speed soon after he saw the name written on it.

"VEN?" He shouted, which led everyone surprised.

"Well, not quite right." The caller chuckled. His voice was familiar. The same cold and annoying voice of the masked boy from last night.

"You… what did you do to Ven?" He hissed. The name written on his phone was Ven's. Obviously, he had done something to Ven.

"Oh, nothing much." The boy chuckled. "Look up." He added.

Roxas did as told and saw a boy with black hair whose face resembled Sora standing on the school roof. Next to him stood Ven. The blond didn't respond to anything. Not even to Roxas's desperate calls. It's as if he was a puppet.

"You bastard! What did you do to him!" He shouted in the calls. The black haired put the phone away from him for a while and then answered with a laugh.

"I told you, nothing much. I'm just preparing him for a fun game we're about to play." He grinned. Roxas kept shouting on the phone. Cursing the black haired boy with his might. "Energetic, aren't you?" The black haired laughed, it only angered Roxas even more. He was having fun from all this.

"Roxas, calm down a bit. This is what he wanted. Don't fall to his traps!" Naminé tried to calm him down. The second he heard 'traps' he stopped cursing and took a deep breath. Trying to keep his head cool.

"Traps? I'm not placing any traps, you see. Oh well, I should explain the rules. It's simple, all you had to do…" He paused and grinned.

"is to fight this brother of yours." He grinned before he threw the cellphone down and disappeared to the dark hollow.

"Wait!" Roxas shouted at the cellphone, only to find a loud crash and a terminated connection. He then sprinted to reach the stairs. However, he was stopped by Terra when the older noticed something strange with the flow of the wind.

The wind was gathering around Ventus. It happened just like when Roxas performed the strike raid move. Only this time, he wasn't the one controlling the wind. Ventus was. Behind Ventus, six light blades appeared. The boy closed his eyes for a second and let the wind carried him.

He was floating in mid-air. Then, as he opened his eyes, he dove down to Roxas, two of the light blades on his hand.

"Roxas watch out!" Naminé screamed. Roxas summoned his keyblade and blocked Ventus's attack. However, even though he managed to block the first attack, Ventus quickly attacked him with the rest of the blades behind him.

"Roxas!" Sora yelled as he ran to help him. His Kingdom Key ready on his hand. "Wait, Sora!" Roxas tried to warn him, but Ven was much faster than him. He easily slipped to Sora's sides and attacked with the renewed six blades behind him. It was pure luck that Aqua managed to cast a barrier to protect Sora. Else he would have been severely injured.

"Kairi! Get Naminé out of here, quick!" Aqua yelled as she concentrated on Ven's movements. They can't bear to attack him. But at the same time, if she didn't block his attacks, it won't do them any good.

The red haired nodded and grabbed Naminé's hand before they fled the area. They were about to reach the front doors until Naminé noticed something.

"Everyone! The heartless are approaching!" She warned.

"Damn it…Riku! You and I go take on the Heartless! Aqua! I'll leave Ven to you!" Terra exclaimed as he and Riku both ran to the Heartless's locations Naminé detected.

"Ven! Snap out of it!" Roxas called. Again, the boy remained emotionless. He kept attacking them as if he was possessed by something. They need to find a way to make Ven snap out of it without hurting him.

"Damn it… I can't attack him. But what should we do?" Sora shouted as he blocked Ventus's attacks. Which was hard to be done. His attacks were fast and powerful. Even if he succeeded in blocking, Ven would still be able to lay damages on him.

Even Aqua had trouble blocking Ventus's attacks.

"Let's take him to the pool!" Aqua suggested. The other two agreed and they ran with all they might to the school's pool.

Meanwhile, Terra and Riku were having a tough time beating a number of large body Heartless. These heartless can only be beaten when attacked from behind. So far, they were having hard time blocking their attacks.

Even after Kairi joined them, they were still unable to finish the Heartless hunting.

"Naminé! Leave this place!" Kairi commanded. At first the pale skinned hesitated, but after hearing her yells, she decided not to be a burden and left.

"We had no choice." Terra said as he activated his Rock Breaker form. In this form, he was much stronger. Giant rocks appeared soon after he finished his move. They surrounded him and then unleashed a large damage to the Heartless in every direction. Crushing them at the same time.

However, doing that really takes a lot from Terra. He was left with no energy after using that form and that left Kairi taking care of him while Riku went to help the others.

Once they arrived at the pool, Roxas acted as the bait as Aqua jumped and slammed Ven from behind. She caught him and made him fell to the water along with her. The two remained in the pool for a moment until they re-appeared with Aqua badly injured from the slashes and Ven gliding the air.

"Aqua!" Sora yelled as he came to her aide. "I'm fine. Heal!" She yelled as green light surrounded her and healed her wounds. Although, even with her wounds healed, her strength wasn't recovered. She used too much of her energy making barriers for all three of them when Ven attacked continuously.

"Ven! It's me! Roxas! Don't you remember?" Roxas kept yelling at him. His throat parched and hurts. It hurt him when his voice was unable to reach Ven.

It surprises him when Ven paused in mid-air. His eyes locked to Roxas's with confusion.

"Ro…xas?" Ven muttered. Roxas saw his chance and kept yelling at him.

"That's right! I'm Roxas! Your twin! Your brother!" He yelled.

"…kh…R-rox…" He muttered again. Both his hands supported his head. His head hurts like crazy. He wanted to end this. It hurts so much.

Then a voice whispered to him.

'End it.' The voice said. With a cold and evil tone, the voice controlled him once again against his will.

"…N-no. Don't!" Ven shouted as he struggled against the unknown force that controlled his body. He cringed and shouted at Roxas before the force controlled him fully.

"RUN!" He shouted. The six blades behind him began to glow and pointed down. He was enveloped in a ball of light before the sword fell and circled Roxas.

Roxas remained frozen when it all happened.

The six swords only needed Ven to finish the move. To vanquish everything trapped in between.

That was the first time he ever heard Ven screamed his lung out. However, his legs were going numb. His end was near. And the one ending his life was no one but his brother.

'At least… Ven's back to normal… right?' He thought before he closed his eyes.

'Seriously, must you made that kind of face at my last moment?' He thought again. The last vision he saw was Ven's horrified face. Which wasn't really cool for one's last moment. He could have seen a smile. Which was much better.

He waited

and waited.

Yet the end didn't came.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. The six swords were gone and so was Ven. He looked around to see Sora supporting Aqua with a relieved face and Riku carrying an unconscious Ven. Behind the silverette was a demon-like monster. It resembled a Heartless, yet it's attached to Riku's body.

"Riku!" Sora yelled. Concerned about his friend. His reply was "I'm fine, Sora." and then the monster disappeared.

Riku laid Ven on the ground. Tears rolled down from Ven's eyes. But he laid unconscious.

"…What happened?" Roxas muttered, he could still feel his head intact. It seemed like whatever Riku did had saved him from being annihilated by his own brother.

"Riku came just in time. Although, I can't say you did the right thing unleashing that thing from your heart, Riku." Aqua told him as she scolded Riku at the same time. The silver haired nodded and admitted his mistakes.

"I'm sorry, I can't find another way. I promise not to release it again." He said as he bowed down in apology.

"Well, I can't really blame you. If you didn't do that, Roxas would be gone by now." She said, sighing in relief.

"Aqua!" Terra yelled. Kairi and Naminé following not far behind. "Is everyone okay? How's Ven?" He asked as he noticed the unconscious Ven on the ground.

"Everything is fine. How's the Heartless?" Aqua asked in return. Terra only smiled, which gave her enough information about the condition. "Let's return. We must bring Ven home… and heal our wounds before he wakes up." Aqua noted as Kairi healed everyone with her Curaga.

Far away from the school was a bald-headed man watching their actions through his monitors. The same black haired boy was standing next to him. The old man grinned as he asked the boy. "What do you make of Ventus?"

"Right now it's still impossible. He still needs to be polished." The boy stated. "Also, his half is missing."

"Missing… I see…" The bald mean smiled. "Then shall he be polished in another way." He added.

"…As you wish, Master." The boy said before he disappeared into the black hollow again.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. Thank you for your reviews ^^ I'm so happy. Reviews motivated me to write more XD

"ROXAS!" Ven screamed right at the moment he woke up. He blinked when he saw the white environment. Next to the bed he was sleeping in was an opened window. Fresh breeze of wind flapped the window's curtain. It was early in the morning.

"…eh? Where…" He muttered until he saw Roxas sitting on the corner of the room. His eyes closed. His body remained motionless, which scared the hell out of Ven.

"ROXAS!" Ven screamed again as he jumped from the bed to reach his twin. Unknown to him that his hand was attached to the IVs. Tears rolled down from his eyes. Not because of the pain jolted from his sudden movement, or from the IV syringes, but from the fear of losing Roxas. He bumped to Roxas harshly.

"Gha!" Roxas cried when he felt someone head-butted him on the stomach. "Wh- Ven?" Roxas yelled when he saw his older twin clinging to him with eyes crying a river.

"Roxas! You're alright! You're alive!" He cried then he started to mumble many things that Roxas couldn't catch on. "Ven… calm down…" He muttered. 'I wonder which one of us is the older brother sometimes…' He thought as he watched his older twin bawling like a baby.

"I'm sorry…" Ven muttered as he clutched his hand on Roxas's shirt even tighter. "I almost killed you… I'm sorry." He muttered again. "Ven…What are you talking about…" Roxas tried to explain to him that those weren't real albeit the fact. He couldn't let Ven knew about the truth. And so he tried his best to make Ven think that everything was just his dream. That is, if his brother was listening to him. Which, he didn't.

"I'm sorry… I almost killed you…I'm sorry." He kept repeating those words. Roxas was starting to get irritated. Looking at Ven right now saddens him. It wasn't his damn fault. It was the black –haired – whoever-his-name's fault.

"Geez, Ven. I don't get what you're saying. Come on, snap out of it." He said as he sighed. He tried to keep an act. And he was surprisingly good at it. Hearing that, Ven stopped crying and looked at Roxas with confused face.

"…Your face is priceless." Roxas chuckled when he saw how ridiculous Ven's face right now. "Come on. Wipe up those tears." He said as he handed him his handkerchief.

Ven accepted the handkerchief and did as told. Then he looked around. Confused to where he was. "…Where are we?" He finally asked. It seemed like he has returned to his senses.

"We're in the hospital. You're unconscious for a week, Ven. Really, I'm the one who should be worried." He sighed. Ven looked around again before he finally locked his eyes on Roxas. "…But…Did I really dream that thing up?" He muttered as he examined Roxas.

Roxas tried to keep his calm when Ven asked that. "Just what were you dreaming?" He asked. Ven looked down before he told Roxas his dream. It was a good thing that the only thing Ventus remembered was when the six blades circled Roxas. When he was about to finish him. But that scene alone must have scared Ven a lot.

What would you feel when you saw yourself about to kill somebody you loved?

Roxas never thought of that. Then again, he never thought that he would fight Ventus either.

"But, thank goodness… it was only a dream." Ven sighed gladly. "If…it was real… what would I do?" He muttered, then he shook his head. The thought was too scary to think about. Roxas sighed then lifted his brother up from the ground and piggybacked him to his bed.

"Hey, I can walk on my own." Ven said as he struggled from Roxas's grasp, but failed to do so. Somehow he felt really weak. Roxas said nothing and kept walking. Ven had become lighter. Probably due to his stay in hospital. After all, he hadn't eaten anything for a week.

"Well, I bet you're hungry. Wait here while I get you something." Roxas said as he placed Ven securely on the bed.

"Oh, and I'll get the doctors too while I'm at it. I think you broke the IVs when you jumped earlier. Hold on, kay?" He added before he exited the room and looked for doctors.

"…He saw through me…" Ven muttered as he held his hand. The syringe has completely left his hand, but the pain from it being pulled out so sudden still lingered. It wasn't just his hands. His entire body felt weak. As if his life force has just been sucked down. But that was normal, he guessed. After all, he hadn't move for a week. Of course there are weird feelings at every joints in his body.

"…But if those were dream… How did I pass out?" Ven muttered then looked at the window. Trying to remember the events happened back then. He was in the library. Trying to find out how to sort the memories he found in his dreams. Then there was him. The boy with black hair and golden eyes.

"…He resembled Sora." He muttered as he watched the curtains flapped. Sora. The name rings a bell somehow. Why did it feel like he'd met him long before?

"…I think I'm becoming old." He told to himself as he decided not to worry about things. It wasn't like him to worry about confusing matters.

"Terra? Yeah. Ven has woke up. Please pass this to Aqua and father as well." Roxas said. He clicked his cellphone and then dialed the next number. "Sora? …No, nothing happened, don't worry. Ven just woke up... Eh? Now? Well, it's fine. Ven'll be happy… Sure, thanks." He hung up.

"Speaking of Cellphone…" He muttered as he stared at his cellphone. Ven's cell got destroyed when Vanitas threw it. He didn't know how to tell Ven about this. Sooner or later Ven would be looking for his cell.

He kept thinking of an idea to deceive Ven while waiting for the takeaway pancakes from the cafeteria.

Lightbulb.

"Ven! You're awake!" Aqua cried when she saw the younger boy sitting on his bed wide awake. "Aqua! Terra!" Ven replied with a smile. He was happy to have company. Roxas was still away it seemed, probably still at the cafeteria. A nurse came to check up on him and repair the IV syringes earlier. Probably due to Roxas's call. However, she went out quickly, leaving Ven alone in the room.

He was bored. But he was glad that Terra and Aqua came to see him. Aqua brought him fruits and even made apple rabbits for him. "You're really skilled, Aqua. Thank you for the apples!" Ven smiled as he chomped happily on the apple rabbits.

"I'm back. Ah, Terra, Aqua. When did you come?" Roxas greeted as he noticed the extra numbers. "Welcome back, Roxas! Aqua made these apple rabbits!" Ven chirped cheerfully. Roxas was glad to find Ven back to his cheerful self.

He placed the pancake box on the desk and took a seat next to Aqua. He took a deep breath before he performed his action.

"…Um…Ven, I need to apologize." He said with a slight blush on his cheeks. His twin tilted his head to the side. Wondering what Roxas did wrong. "I…uh, kind of stepped into your cellphone when I found you, so…" He gulped. "I'm sorry, I was panicking and then…your phone broke…" He ended. He waited for a response.

What came from Terra and Aqua's looks were 'Uwaaah, that's so lame…' with both of them staring at Roxas.

However, Ven chuckled in response.

He expected him to be angry or making the confused look. However, Ven chuckled, not even that, he even giggled.

"What? I thought you did something else." He laughed then reached out to pat Roxas's head. "Were you that worried about me?" He smiled the kind smile. "Then I'm sorry I made you worry…but, thanks. Roxas." He said before he turned to Terra and Aqua to apologize from making them worry.

'Ah…it hurts.' Roxas looked down. A pain was throbbing on his chest. He lied again. It hurts to see how kind Ven reacts to his lies.

It hurts.

"Ya~Hooo!" cried a cheerful voice. He knew this voice too well that he immediately smacked the head of the one shouting.

"Ow, Roxas! What was that for?" Sora cried. "You're too loud." He replied coldly. Behind Sora stood Riku, Kairi and Naminé.

"Sora! You came too? And… umm…" Ven exclaimed when he saw the four. Then his eyes fell on the other three whom he never met.

"They are my friends. Riku, Kairi, and Naminé!" Sora introduced as they greeted each another and Naminé placed the bouquet of flowers she and Kairi bought earlier in the vase.

"I see, nice to meet you guys." Ven smiled. Then came another guest. It was Eraqus.

"Father!" Both Terra and Ven exclaimed. The man carried a small box with him. "Ventus. I'm glad you're finally awake." He smiled as he handed him the box. "What's this?" He asked. Eraqus just told him to unwrap it.

He did as told and revealed a new cellphone within.

"I heard that your cellphone is broken. So I decided to buy you a new one." The old man smiled again.

"Father… I'll take good care of it. Thank you very much!" Ven thanked him.

He had fun. He was so happy to see many people visited him. Although, they were soon kicked out by the nurses for visiting time was over. Ven needed to stay in the hospital for at least tonight until he can be released.

Roxas had spent the last week sleeping alone. He found it hard sleeping while Ven was in that state. He couldn't help but worry. But today, he could finally find solace in his sleep. It relieved him so much that Ventus is finally awake. He was also doing fine. With that in thought, Roxas smiled in his sleep.

'Tomorrow's gonna rock.' He thought before sleep consumed him.

"Congratulations for your son's recovery, . There were no abnormalities. He may continue his study tomorrow." The doctor congratulated him. Ventus was happy to hear how he can continue his school days tomorrow. He had been skipping so much for his first year in high school.

Terra and Aqua were also there to pick him up. Roxas and the others were unfortunately nowhere to be seen and his two friends just won't tell him where they are. "You'll see, Ven." Terra repeated as Ven kept bugging him.

And then after he reached home, everyone threw confetti at him. Everyone was there. Including Zack and Hayner's gang.

"Congratulations!" They shouted together.

"Everyone…" Ven muttered. Mesmerized by the thoughtful feelings they gave him. "…I don't know how to thank you." He smiled happily.

"It's Roxas's idea. He planned all this." Kairi explained as she pointed to Roxas, whom was blushing at the corner of the room. Ven immediately ran to him and glomped the boy. "Thank you so much, Roxas!" He cried out. Roxas was blushing madly. "Y-you would have done the same!" He blurted out.

"Then let the party start!" Sora cried out.

The day ended with that small, yet wonderful party.

"A~h, sleeping in your own bed is the best." Ven muttered after they both tucked into their beds, ready to sleep. "What is it like in the hospital?" Roxas asked. Ven pouted and commented how uncomfortable he was and how the IVs hurt.

"…But worse of all, you weren't there, Roxas." He muttered then rolled to face his twin's face with a smile. "…what? You're such a child." Roxas teased. "Everyone is." Ven replied.

"What does that mean?" Roxas asked again with a chuckle.

"Hey, Roxas… did you…miss me?" He asked. Roxas stared at Ven's face for a couple of second before he smiled. "…I guess… I couldn't sleep well without you there." He said as he looked at the ceilings. The bed which was once empty has its owner back.

"…Were you worried?" Ven asked again. This time, Roxas looked at him with a confused face. "Who wouldn't? Of course I'm worried." He answered. Then he yawned. "Come on, let's get to sleep. We have school tomorrow."

"Roxas." Ven called.

"Hm?"

"Thanks." He smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters.

Sorry for the long update… Q_Q I'll make sure to post faster. XD

And thank you for the reviews ^^, they really make me write faster.

**Day one : Sunday.**

"Don't worry, Terra, Aqua. I'll protect Ven no matter what." He told to his two seniors by phone. It was Sunday night. His body was still trembling, a bit. He looked at his unconscious twin lying on the bed motionlessly. It scared him. He was on the verge of death and the one ending his life is no one but his own twin.

Had Riku not come at time, he would have vanished for good.

"Are you okay, Roxas?" Came a worried voice. It was Sora. The brown haired then took a seat next to him. Watching the unconscious Ven on the bed.

"…He didn't stir, not even a bit." Roxas explained. Both of them looked down.

"The master said that we'll need to bring him to the hospital if he didn't wake up tomorrow." Sora said.

He only nodded in response.

**Day two : Monday.**

"Then, I'll go now, okay? Ven?" He said as he looked to the sleeping boy on the bed. Ven still won't wake up. Roxas locked the door and walked to school alone. He tried his best to distract himself from the thought of unconscious Ven. He knew that Eraqus will be watching over Ven. But he couldn't help but be afraid of that black haired boy which resembled Sora a lot.

Was that why the heartless that night looked like Sora?

Then, would that mean that the black haired boy was controlling the Heartless?

In the end he couldn't distract himself.

"Roxas, don't push yourself." Naminé said to him, trying to cheer him up. He just smiled at the girl. He knew she was trying her best. And that he can't let her down. "You're right… Well, how did it go today?" He asked, referring to the lunchbox she made.

"Ah! I managed to make Riceballs!" She said with a pushed cheerful voice.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded and then let him taste one.

"…It's good." He said.

By the time he reached home, he got a call from Eraqus. Notifying him that Ven has been transferred to Hollow Bastion Hospital.

That night he slept alone.

**Day Three : Tuesday.**

"Terra and Riku is watching over him, so you don't have to worry." Aqua assured him. If it was the usual him, it'll feel awkward for him since he was the only boy in this night's team. But tonight, he didn't want to think anything. He only wanted to unleash his anger on the heartless and then quickly went home.

He wanted to see the day Ven wakes up.

Why can't time move faster?

**Day Four : Wednesday.**

He's slowly breaking apart. It has been the fourth day. He's starting to think if Ven would never wake up.

Everyone was also overwhelmed by restless feelings. Even the cheerful Sora.

"Hey, Sora?" He tried to start a conversation. Hopefully that could change the mood.

"Hm?" was all he got from Sora. They were waiting for the Heartless to come.

"How did you have your keyblade?" He asked. That definitely wasn't the best topic.

"Well… it happened before school starts. I thought I was having a dream. You had one too, right? The one where you're standing on a stained glass and the sword, staff, and shield thing?" He asked.

He remembered seeing an image of him sleeping. Yet he wondered if it was really him. Somehow that image fit the sleeping Ven right now.

"I basically was recruited after I told Riku. I'm also surprised to see Kairi already in the team long before me." He chuckled.

"Now that I think about it… I don't know anything about the keyblades. I already know that it came from Ansem. Naminé's dad. But I don't know anything else…Not even about you guys." Roxas muttered.

Yeah, he didn't know anything. Not even the fact that this team was assembled by his own foster father. They did a good job hiding it from him. And now, he's hiding it from Ven.

"In that case, would you like to know?" Came the rough voice. It was Terra. It seemed like he overheard the two talking.

"Terra!" Sora exclaimed in surprise. Terra then took a seat next to the two and explained.

"…Ansem was a very good friend of the master. He was also a genius scientist. I was still a little kid back then. My father, Ansem, and another man. They were close friends. So close that they called among themselves as brothers. And, as Ansem opened the door to darkness, the heartless started to appear. Ansem tried his best to fix the wrongs, and so the Keyblades were born." He sighed looking at his bare hands.

"The three of them used this keyblade to fight against the heartless. They made a good record until the other two disappeared. And so my father had no choice to pass the keyblade to me… and Aqua which was with me at that time." He paused for a while, took a deep breath and then continued.

"Father, he was very guilty for dragging Aqua into this. And ten years later, foolish I did the same thing as him." He said looking at Sora.

"You did the ceremony to Riku." Sora stated. Terra nodded.

"He was really mad when I brought Riku with me." Terra chuckled. "But once the ceremony has been made and the keyblade accepted, it can't be canceled…" He said looking guilty.

"Then, what about Kairi?" Sora asked. "And Naminé?" Roxas added.

"Let's start with Naminé first, shall we? When Ansem and the other person disappeared so suddenly, Father found Naminé, left alone and then took her to her uncle, which is Kairi's father." Terra explained until Sora butted-in.

"Naminé was really quiet back then." Sora commented.

"Anyways, when the three of us were busting the Heartless at night as usual, she suddenly showed up." Terra said.

"She what?" Roxas asked.

"She appeared. Telling us that there are more heartless coming. And she was right. Without her, we would be really screwed." Terra sighed again. "We were all very surprised with her ability. But none of us knew why. Perhaps it was her relation to Ansem that gave her that power. She insisted in joining and thus has spent the days with us every night."

"And then as said, I made Riku join… and Kairi…" He paused. "Kairi found out that Naminé has been sneaking out every night. She was very angry at us back then. However, she came at the wrong time. The heartless saw her and targeted her. Aqua came to her rescue, but she accidentally touched Aqua's keyblade. And the keyblade acknowledged her." Terra finished.

"Then… what about us?" Sora asked. Pointing at himself and Roxas. "I mean, I don't think I've ever touched a keyblade before. Or meet someone who passed down the keyblade to me!" Sora stated.

"I'm sorry, but even the master didn't know how the keyblade went to you two…" He said. But then he looked at Roxas. Terra's eyes showed him the eyes of a knowing man. He was about to question him further when Naminé arrived. Telling them to get ready and that the Heartless will get here soon.

**Day Five : Thursday.**

He felt a little better after knowing the other members' past. He learned that Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Naminé were best friends ever since kids and that Terra and Aqua has been under Eraqus's wings for 10 years or so. It must have been hard for the two. Training ever since a kid. No wonder they possessed the level of a master. Even though they claimed Eraqus to be far stronger than them.

In the end, he was the only one unrelated to other keyblade wielders aside from him and Ven being Eraqus's adopted children. "…Wait a second. The master and our real father… He said they were friends… right?" He muttered to himself as he watched Ven sleeping. He was alone at the hospital room. Waiting for the boy to wake up.

"…Then, was the other person Terra mentioned… our father?" He asked to himself. Then again, he couldn't even remember the faces of his own parents. There were no photographs, or anything left related to his and Ven's family. Everything was burned down.

Yes, he remembered.

After all, he was the first to meet Eraqus at that time.

They were at the outside. On a white flower bank. Ven was lying before him. His head was bleeding. He remembered screaming. He remembered how he shook Ven to wake him up. Ven was injured. But why on earth was he fine? Why was he… unhurt at all?

"Ventus! Roxas!" Cried a voice. It was a voice he never heard of. He kept Ven close and hugged him tightly. The voice was coming closer. There, came a face he had never known. That man's face had burn marks. He could smell smoke coming from the man.

"W..who...?" Roxas asked. His voice shaked. He was preparing to run. He won't let this man hurt them.

"Come with me, quick. The fire is spreading, and we have to tend your brother's wound. Don't worry, I'm a friend to your father." He offered a hand. He wanted to refuse. But that man was right. They need to tend Ven's injuries.

And with that, he took that man's hands. The man which was now his and Ventus's foster father.

Ironically, neither him nor Ventus ever recall what happened before their arrival at the flower bank. Whenever he asked Eraqus, he was only told that an accident happened and their parents died in the flame.

There were no ceremonies because there are no known relatives.

He became the only one for Ventus. And Ventus became the only family to him.

"That's right… you're my only family…" He muttered as he pinched Ven's nose slightly. "I won't forgive you if you won't wake up, Ven." He said with a sigh.

**Day Six : Friday**

"Come to think of it, I never thanked you properly for saving my butt." He said to Riku when they finally meet in the nightshift. He hardly ever found Riku in school. He seemed to be the loner type of a man. He'd bump to Sora and Kairi sometimes. But he never saw the silverette.

"Well, you did now." Riku replied.

Riku was a man of few words. The quiet guy. He talked less, remained as an observant all the time. Yet he could think with clear head all the time.

"What was that thing, though? You know, the one behind you at that time." He asked. Riku seemed to be hesitant in answering.

"That was… my guardian." He answered.

"Guardian?"

"Well, sort of." He chuckled.

"Sort of? What is that supposed to mean?" Roxas sighed. Here he thought Riku was the cool guy.

"The only thing I know about it is that… it came from here." He said as he placed his hand on his chest. "It has always been there. My…darkness." He said as he stood up from where he sat. Then he walked away.

"Anyways, you don't need to worry about this. This is for me to settle. You guys just focus on the Heartless." He said before finally disappeared into the white room.

"…Whatever you say." He muttered and followed suit.

**Last Day : Saturday**

Last night's work ended faster than usual. There are less Heartless roaming around that Roxas decided to stay at the hospital again.

It was uncomfortable sleeping on a chair with your head resting on the wall. But faintly, he could listen to Ven's light snores. That alone became a lullaby that lulled him to sleep.

He woke up to find Ven crying river.

Roxas was weak in the morning. He couldn't say anything to the bawling Ven. He felt joy in his heart. Ven is awake. He's finally awake… and this is the usual Ven. The usual cheerful and worrywart Ven.

His older twin started to blurt out everything. Which he already knew. And he knew that he had to keep an act. He tried to make it look like Ven was dreaming everything up. Surprisingly, it woked so easy that Ven stopped crying. Gazing at his older twin, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Your face is priceless." He chuckled.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. Sorry for the long update D=

"Roxas!" Hayner called as he waved his hand to inform Roxas their location.

Upon Ventus's awakening, Roxas has finally returned to himself. It felt like a huge hole within his heart has been filled.

"I heard your brother finally recovered. Congratulations." Olette smiled. He smiled back in return.

"Say, Roxas, do you know? They said that this school has seven wonders!" Pence started. Roxas looked at him with a confused face. "Like, THE seven wonders?" He asked. The fat boy nodded and then showed him his small pocketbook.

"Okay, the first one is the roaring sound at the school's auditorium building. It seems like a monster appear there at night since the sound can only be heard at night. The second one is a ghost that appears in the hallway. Next is a talking mirror at the third floor. You know, the one at the staircase." He explained them one by one. It sparked little interest in Roxas's eyes, however it burned the spirit of someone else's

"Is that true?" Sora suddenly barged in. His eyes shone brightly with interest. Ven was following from behind. "What are you talking about?" He asked calmly until he noticed Roxas. "Roxas? That's rare for you to come here." He teased.

"Erm, well, I kinda need to do my homework. And library is the best place, don't you think? Besides…" He looked at Sora and snorted. "I never thought you'd be here, Sora." He teased.

"What does that mean?" Sora pouted angrily. His cheeks resembled that of a squirrel.

"You must be Ventus." Olette added as she approached him and congratulate him for getting out from the hospital. In which Ven thanked her in return.

The three then introduced themselves, and then eyed Sora with curiosity. Sora chuckled and introduced himself as "Ven's friend." At which Roxas eyed Sora in suspicion. 'When did Sora and Ven started hanging out, anyways?' He thought, but then decided to let it slip away.

"Well, the library committee is at your service, how can I help you?" Ven asked.

"Is there any reference book for Chemistry?" Pence asked. Ven chuckled and then turned to pick a book from his and Sora's desk. "Will this one do?" He asked. Pence jumped in surprise when Ven held out that book.

"Whoa! That's really the one we need!" Pence exclaimed. "You don't mind, do you, Sora?" He asked, the brunette shook his head and then smiled.

"Yeah, I'm done with that one." He replied as Ven handed them the book. Pence hummed as he took the book, but then paused as he examined Ven and Sora's face.

"Hmm?" He muttered when he examined Sora's face, and then Ven's face closer. "That's funny, you guys look like each other!" Pence stated, then looked at Roxas. "Guess what, we have three people that look alike here." He laughed as Hayner and Olette started examining their face as well.

"That's true… Sora looks like Roxas and Ven a bit." Olette said as she examined the three.

"Could it be that you guys are actually triplets?" Hayner teased.

"Oh guys, come on. That's not funny." Sora sighed, and then crossed his arm while Roxas just looked at Sora with disbelieving eyes.

"Sorry, but you really look similar, you know." Pence stated then returned to his homework.

"Well, I'll bring the other books for you." Ven said as he disappeared to the other shelves with Olette thanking him in the process.

With Ven gone, Roxas immediately grab Sora and then pulled him somewhere else. "Sorry guys, I need to talk to him for a while." Roxas said to his friends with a somewhat demonic look on his face. Sora couldn't do anything but to obey while the three just watched the two fled.

"…Siblings fight, huh?" Hayner said as he nibbled his pencil. "…To me it looks like Roxas's jealous?" Olette giggled while Pence hummed in agreement.

The two settled down in the corner of the library. Roxas had a somewhat angry look on his face while Sora faced him with a sheepishly face.

"So?" Roxas mumbled. Sora laughed nervously in response and then asked. "…err…so…what?" He asked nervously. This Roxas was somehow scary.

"Just how did you and Ven get along?" He asked in somewhat murderous tone.

"…just now? I mean, I asked Ven to help me with the chemistry homework since he looked smart. I mean, Riku and Kairi won't help me… soo…" He said as he tried to look for help. It appeared to him that Roxas could kill him at any minute, now.

When suddenly, Roxas calmed down.

"…I don't like it." He said. Sora blinked at him. "…You look like him." Roxas added.

"Who? Ven?" Sora asked, his voice quite relieved when he saw Roxas calmed down. But then Roxas glared at him again. He even hissed at him this time.

"…That guy with black hair." Roxas answered. This time, Sora quieted down.

"You reminded me of him. That guy… he used Ven like a toy. I don't like him." Roxas huffed. Sora only sighed in response.

"…Well, I'm sorry?" Sora asked. Roxas looked at him and then sighed. "…No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't get angry at you like this. Sorry…" Roxas replied as he flumped on the table. Cooling himself down on the using the table's surface.

"So… let's go back?" Sora offered. Roxas took a deep breath before he calmed himself down and then smiled at Sora. "Yeah." He smiled.

Ven walked deeper and deeper to the other side of the library. He'd walked past through the chemistry shelves. Down to the backside of the library was a small room with many organized files and old books. No students ever bother to check on the archive room as it was usually left empty. Ventus went there alone. Yet he knew that he wasn't by himself.

"…So?" He muttered as he turned to see a smirking black haired laying his back on the wall. His golden eyes eyeing on Ven as if he was his prey.

"What do you want… Vanitas?" Ven asked.

The black haired, whom Ven called Vanitas chuckled. "Oh? So you've remembered my name?" Vanitas teased. The blond just leered at him angrily.

"Just what are you? Why do you look like Sora?" He asked in an angry tone.

"…So you haven't retrieve everything back, huh? That's too bad. Well, can't really blame you. Anyways, I've found the best way to return your memories." He said as he approached Ven and snickered.

"My… memories? What do you mean?" He felt really weak whenever Vanitas approached him. As if his soul was absorbed. Ven tried to keep his balance. He didn't want to be used by Vanitas again. He fought back the whatever pressure that pushed him into this state.

Vanitas was only a few inches away from him now. Ven could feel the dizziness on his head. The boy then whispered on his ear.

"I'm more than just your illusions, Ventus." He snickered and then walked away. Ventus gasped for air when the pressure suddenly disappeared. He fell to the ground and then tried to gather his strength.

"Wait!" Ven yelled as he chased after the boy. But stopped soon after he exited the archive room. Vanitas has vanished.

"…If he said that those are my memories… then… was everything… was what I saw… true?" He said looking at the ceilings with a grim look. Remembering himself lunged down to Roxas, almost killing him.

'Empty creature from Ventus riven. To you, the name Vanitas shall be given.' A voice echoed through his head as he remembered an image of Vanitas waking up with empty eyes. The dream he had when he was knocked unconscious for the past week. And the thought of Vanitas was actually just an illusion he saw.

Everything… was true.

"…Ven's taking a long time, isn't he?" Olette asked in a worried tone. "Oh! There he is!" Pence exclaimed as he pointed at the blond.

"Here are the books… where're Roxas and Sora?" Ven said with a faked smile.

"They left after you left. I'm sure they will be back soon, though." Hayner said and then chuckled when he saw the said pair appeared. "See?" He said as he pointed at the two. Ven smiled in relief seeing the two together. Then returned to his seat.

"If you don't hurry, is gonna be angry, you know." Pence exclaimed. Roxas hurried and sped up his work. Sora mimicking him.

However, the bell rang just when they were about to continue.

"…Good luck, both of you." Hayner said, patting Roxas's back, who grimaced at the sound of the bell.

"I made fruit salad today!" Naminé exclaimed happily. Roxas smiled with joy at her. "Is that so? Then it's good." He smiled. However, his smile was somewhat different than usual. Today it felt like flowers were scattering behind him.

"…what exactly happened, Roxas?" Naminé asked, sweatdropping in the process.

"So that's what happened." Naminé smiled after she heard Roxas's story. It was simple, actually. Roxas has been restless when time reached the sixth period, which was chemistry class. However, he was saved by Vexen's sudden illness or whatever reason that made him unable to teach today. He was really happy when he heard the news.

"I bet that teacher fell ill from drinking his own potion or whatever." Roxas chuckled. Naminé just watched him and smiled in relief.

"I'm glad, Roxas." She said, suddenly. Which caught his attention. "I was really worried past this last week. But… seeing you today, I'm really happy that you returned to yourself." She smiled.

"Naminé…" Roxas muttered. He didn't know that he made her feel this way. He smiled and then patted her head. "Thanks." He smiled. Naminé only blushed in return.

"I-it's nothing. W-we're friends, so… thi-this kind of thing is normal." She said while blushing. "Besides…" She paused, then smiled at Roxas. "You helped me with my cooking. You gave me more confidence. I… really like it… the way you smile when you eat my cooking… although my cooking is bad." She muttered as she closed her eyes.

"I like you too, Naminé." Roxas chuckled. Then realized what he just said and blushed madly. Naminé blushed even redder and covered her mouth with her hands. Perhaps, preventing her from shouting whatever it is written in her mind.

Roxas was left speechless after realizing what he just said. His heart beat faster and his face went red. He just stared at Naminé and there was the awkward moment.

"Thank you." She squeaked with a really small voice. He nodded.

That day they spent quietly with their hearts thumping.

'Is this… love?' He thought.

[Review please… ]


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**: Aaand, sorry for another late update D= But it's here now X3. I'll try my best to update faster, but somehow, I'm having a tough writer's block ;_; . Well, I don't own Kingdom Hearts and its characters, but enjoy the story =D

His face was still a bit red that Ven started to worry about him when they walked home. Roxas was ignoring his brother, all that was in his mind right now was faces of Naminé. And that made his face gone redder.

"…Are you alright Roxas?" Ven asked as he put his hand on his twin's forehead. Attempting to check his temperature.

"What? Ven? When did you-" Roxas flinched. It appeared to him that he had forgotten where he was and what they were doing.

"…Really, Roxas. You've been acting weird. Did you eat something bad?" Ven joked.

"N-Naminé's food are not bad! W-well, she still has a long way to go, but her cooking isn't that bad." Roxas yelled, trying to defend Naminé. It left Ven speechless for a few moments before he burst to laughter.

"W-what's so funny?" Roxas yelled again.

"So that's why you've been blushing. Aww, aren't you so cute, Roxas?" He teased.

"Shut up!" Roxas yelled and paced.

"So… How far have you two gone out?" This question made Roxas stopped and faced Ven with a really red face.

"M-me and Naminé are not like that! W-we're…" He blurted out and then remained silent in embarrassment.

"Naminé and I." Ven corrected in a manner of correcting Roxas's grammar. It surprised Roxas for a moment until he realized the real meaning of that sentence. "So, you're more than friends but less than lovers, eh? Not bad." He said. Another bull's eye. As expected of his brother.

"…I told you we're…friends." Roxas sighed in disappointment. Deep within him, He didn't want it to be just 'friends'. He wanted something more special. He wanted to be her boyfriend.

"If you like her, then you must act like a man and tell her." He advised and then walked ahead. Leaving Roxas to ponder about his words for a few moments.

Roxas stared at his twin's back for a few moments before he chased and walk alongside him. He hesitated before he managed to blurt out a request.

"Hey, Ven…?" He asked. Ventus turned and face his twin brother.

"Will you come with me, for a while?"

It never occurred to him that Roxas knew this kind of place. It was a small shop, crowded with mostly girls and couples. The shop sell many cute things. Most of which are girls accessories. Ven could even spot lots of girls from their school. 'How did Roxas knew this place?' He thought when he followed Roxas.

"…Let me guess, you want to give something to her and you don't know what to give. Then you want an advice from me? Really, Roxas, I've only met Naminé once…" Ven sighed at his blushing twin. Roxas was helpless. Too helpless that he couldn't talk back.

"…Well, what does she like?" Ven asked as he browsed through the girl's accessories.

"S-she loves to cook… although she didn't do really well. And.. oh! She always brings a sketchbook with her…" He muttered.

"…Ven?" Seeing how he heard no response, he looked up and called to his twin. Before him, Ventus was holding a star shaped necklace. His eyes deep in thought.

"What are you looking at?" Roxas asked as he approached him and saw the star shaped necklace.

"Unbreakable connection…" He muttered. He then placed the necklace back and grasped something from within his bag. It was a green charm shaped like a star. He smiled before he put it back to his bag.

"…What was that?" Roxas asked. Ventus only smiled and then shook his head.

"Nothing." He said before he smiled and walked away.

He had always felt worried whenever he's not in the nightshift. Tonight there were Terra, Sora, and Riku fighting alongside her. It was unfair when she had to come every night while he rested in his nice comfy room. He wanted to be next to her. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to be there for her.

However, it's true that he won't make it if he came to fight every night. He also didn't want to leave Ventus alone. Now that he knew that the black haired was able to use his twin. It can't be helped.

At the very least, he wanted to be close to Naminé. The girl who always spent her time alone without him.

'…I wonder if Roxas managed to give it to her…' He thought. He was reading books at his usual spot in the library. In the end, Roxas decided to buy Naminé a new sketchbook. He looked restless today. It seemed like he was waiting for lunch break. Roxas couldn't wait to give it to Naminé. Ven could only smile.

'…It would be nice… to keep things this way.' He thought. Everything returned back to him. The memories. The faces he saw.

He was afraid.

He couldn't tell anyone. Not even Roxas. He didn't know how to overcome everything.

He was afraid that the happiness around him will disappear. 'If I tell them, they'll be worried… They've been… restless… all because of me.' He thought again then buried his face in his arms. Resting on the desk.

'I… what am I?' he thought until he noticed someone was calling to him.

"Ven!" Sora smiled when he saw the blonde boy at his usual spot. "Sora? What makes you here?" Ven asked with a light chuckle, trying to hide everything from the other boy. Sora pouted and then took the seat across him.

"What? I can't be here?" He joked.

"Well, I'm sure you're here for something. Can I help you?" Ven returned with a smile.

"Actually, I'm here only to chat." Sora grinned, and then started to look for a topic. Meanwhile, Ventus waited with a smile.

"So, how are you feeling?" Sora asked. His hand scratched the back of his head. It appeared to him that Sora wasn't able to find any interesting topic.

"I'm doing fine. Please don't worry about me." Ven replied with another smile. He had caused too much trouble. Hadn't he?

"That's great, um…" Then there was the awkward silence. Ventus waited for Sora while the boy scratched his cheeks. Seemingly hesitating of questioning something.

"About the other day… What were you reading?" He asked. Then, as if struck by a lightning, Ventus paled and hesitated to answer.

"T-that was…" He looked for an answer, but in the end, he couldn't lie.

"Sora… promise me you won't tell anyone…" He muttered and Sora nodded. He looked around and then finally confessed everything. That he's been trying to recover his forgotten memories and that he's been having weird dreams. Although, he kept his encounter with Vanitas a secret.

"Ven…" Sora muttered, his face somewhat apologetic. Then the blonde smiled. "But it's a dream after all. It might not be my memory. So, don't worry about it too much." He said.

"Actually…" Sora started. "There's also… someone I want to remember." He chuckled. Ven eyed him with curiosity. "…I can't remember him, his face, his voice, not even his name… But I know that he's someone dear to me… It would be nice… if I could remember him, though." He muttered then stared at the window.

"…Is he… a family?" Ven asked.

"I don't know… I can't remember. I think… he's someone like a brother." He stated. Ventus's eyes widened then he clenched his fist.

"Sora… was that someone… your twin?" Ven asked. He gulped. He felt scared.

"Twin…" Sora muttered. Somehow he felt nostalgic. Was it true then? Was that someone he forgot his twin? Then again, he knew that he had no siblings. Or at least his parents told him so.

"I..I don't know, you might be right. I don't think he's any older than me… or any younger… That… person…" Sora muttered. A smile flashed in his mind. A voice of a child, a laugh. There was a vision of that boy, but his face was blurred. He couldn't remember much. They were sitting on a tree in destiny island. His home. That boy was…

His head started hurting. Something is about to return. Yet suddenly he felt scared. Like he didn't want to remember, his mind refused to have that memory returned. It hurts.

"Sora!" Ven shouted as he saw the other boy struggled. Sora supported his head with his hands. His face showed agony.

"Was he a dark haired boy? His name… was he called Vanitas?" Ven yelled.

Then Sora stopped struggling.

"…Vanitas?" Sora muttered. His pain disappeared. His body has rejected the memory completely. He looked at Ventus for a while, and then shook his head.

"…No." He answered. He knew who Ven was talking about. The same boy that seemed to be controlling the Heartless. The same boy that used Ven to fight against them. The boy whose face was similar to his, yet he didn't recognize.

He wasn't related to that boy, no. He felt nothing even after Ven described him perfectly.

However, how did Ven retrieve his name?

"How did you know him?" Sora asked. Ven flinched at the question. He can't run away from this one. He wanted to keep it a secret, but it seemed like his plan was a failure.

"Ven?" Sora called out to the pale faced. He waited for the blond to talk. Ventus looked really confused and sad that Sora almost felt guilty asking. But he needed to know. Ventus knew something that might be a clue to them. They had to know.

"He… appeared in my dreams." Ventus answered. The image of Vanitas reappeared to his mind. How he evilly smiled at him and told him that he was more than just an illusion. That he was real and what happened around him actually happened.

'I don't understand… Why am I so worried?' He thought as he looked at Sora, whom stared worriedly at him. 'Was it because Sora is Roxas's friends? Am I worried about Roxas? No… I'm worried about…Sora…'

"…Ven." Was all Sora could give. He wanted to question Ventus further. But then again, Ven thought that everything was a dream. He was afraid that he would reveal the truth to Ven. He couldn't tell him. No matter what, he can't tell Ven about what they're doing at night. Especially since Roxas is there. What would Ven do if he knew?

'I'm so stupid. What am I thinking?' He thought and then sighed.

"A-anyways. I don't think this Vanitas guy is the boy I was looking for." Sora smiled. Sora was half panicking. It seemed like Sora wanted to cheer him up. Sora was different than Roxas. Yet, he felt close to Sora. As if Sora was also a brother to him.

"Thanks, Sora." He smiled. Yes, right now, do not bother with anything. Everything will go peacefully. As long as he believed, then it will come true.

Memento Mori, Memento Vivere and that's it.

"Ven… if you have a bad dream, all you need to do is share them with someone. I'm sure you can overcome it after that." Sora advised as he put his hands behind his head and laughed.

"Yeah… You're right." Ven muttered and then smiled. "Thank you, Sora."

It was Lunchbreak and Roxas has spent the first 2 minutes standing in front of the art room. Naminé was inside. Waiting for Roxas. He gulped. The sketchbook was wrapped nicely on his hand.

'What should I say…? Thank you for the food you made for me…? Or… I bought this because I think you'll need it…' He thought. His face flushed a bit.

He took a deep breath before he grabbed the handle of the door. His heart was beating fast.

"Na-"

"Roxas?" Hayner called.

He shouted.

"Gyaaaaaaargh! Ha-Hayner?" He yelled with a horrified look. He quickly hid the sketchbook behind his back.

"What's that you're hiding?" Hayner asked.

"I-it's nothing!" Roxas replied with a panicked tone.

"Well, anyways. Remember what Pence said yesterday? The three of us wanted to check it out tomorrow night. What do you think? Want to join us?" He asked.

It felt as if blood rushed to his head. He wanted Hayner to go on quickly that he barely listen to what Hayner was saying. He nodded and answered with a quick yes before he realized what he had put himself into.

"W-wait, tomorrow night?" He asked as Hayner walked away.

"Yup, tomorrow at nine. Don't be late okay? Also, your brother and Sora can come as well if they want to! Later!" He said as he disappeared to the cafeteria.

'What have I put myself into…?' He thought before he decided to settle down in the art room with Naminé.

"Is this really for me? Thank you so much, Roxas!" Naminé said with excitement.

Roxas blushed and smiled to see Naminé's smile. "I-it's nothing. After all, you made all these lunches for me… So I thought that… I want to repay you, if only a little. You also did your best coming here everynight. So, think of this as my gratitude." He said with a blush.

Naminé seemed to really love the sketchbook that she held it close with a smile. Unwilling to let go of the book.

"H-hey, can I ask for something?" Naminé asked shyly. Her face blushed slightly as she tried to hide her face with the sketchbook.

"S-sure…" Her blushing face affected him that he started blushing as well.

"Can I… if you don't mind… draw you?" She asked, her eyes begging on him.

"Me? But… I'm not that handsome… besides,there are better objects than me." He said. He was happy, really happy when she asked so. Yet he did his best to hide his happiness.

"But I want you to be the first one that I drew in this sketchbook…Besides, I think you're cool Roxas… oh" She replied and then blushed madly.

At that time, he swore that he could see butterflies and flowers scattered around him. This Naminé was way too cute to be described in words.

"I-if you say so…" He looked away.

"Thank you!" She smiled happily.

He was left speechless that they ended up eating lunch awkwardly.

"So, what is your plan?" An old groggy voice asked. Vanitas was resting against the wall. He smirked and then revealed his plan.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?" He said as he looked at the monitor. The screen was showing an image of a boy, eating his lunch along with Terra and Aqua.

Vanitas smirked.

"Ventus."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. :3

"So tell me. What are we looking for?" Roxas asked. His hands in his white coat pockets. Ven has insisted to bring that with him. It was quite a surprise that he didn't even try to beg to come. He'd thought that his twin would even cry to let him go with him.

If it was any other day, Roxas would enjoy a night expedition with him. However, he wouldn't dare to let Ven go out at night. Especially not after the things happened.

"Well, the closest one from us is the monster at the auditorium building. It's also the farthest from the rest, which is in the main school building." Pence explained as he, Hayner, Olette, Roxas and Sora marched to the auditorium building.

Roxas was scolded. Yes, of course he was scolded by Eraqus. He spent a total of one hour listening to his speech. And another hour to repent his mistakes. He knew he wasn't supposed to bring anyone to school at night. For they would be fighting the heartless for sure.

Unfortunately for him, Eraqus had somewhere he had to attend that night. That left Terra to watch over the monitor that night and He and Sora to watch over the kids. It was such large task with so little helper.

"It's not like I blame you for accidentally agreeing their invitation… However, since I'm watching over the monitors, and the spell, you guys will have to watch over your friends. Don't let them turn to Heartless. Understand?" Terra said, right before he disappeared along with Naminé to the secret base.

"Sorry, Sora…" He muttered. Yes, he dragged Sora into their bodyguard job. Had he declined Hayner's invitation, and prevented them from coming to school, it won't be this hard. The heartless can come at any time. And his friends' lives are at stake.

The brunette smiled and patted his back. "Come on, what's that sorry for? I'm your friend." He smiled and then placed both his hands behind his head. "Besides, this expedition is kind of fun, don't 'cha think?" Sora grinned.

"If it's you, then it can't be helped." He laughed.

"Hey, guys, we're here!" Pence exclaimed when they reached the auditorium building. Hayner gulped and grabbed the handle slowly. He looked at the others and nodded when they all told him to open it through the eyes.

"OOOOOOOO! REHHHHHHHH !" A voice suddenly shouted from within. It was groggy and scary. It almost sounded like a roar.

And they all flinched.

"I-it's here!" Olette yelped.

"B-but are you sure it's from the inside?" Sora exclaimed, his face half scared.

Hayner and Roxas then placed their ears by the doors to the auditorium building and once again heard another voice.

"SOOOOOORRRRRr… RAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The voice shouted again.

"Sora… Is it calling for you?" Roxas said as he faced the pale faced brunette.

"Stop making things like that Roxas!" Sora cried out.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Hayner said as he grabbed the handle to the doors once again, and then opened it slowly.

The auditorium was dark. The only light they had was the moonlight shining from the doors. All five of them entered the building slowly. Each keeping close to each other with Hayner standing bravely on the front.

"…There's no one here…" Olette exclaimed.

They stood there for few moments before deciding to explore the room even further. That was when a loud 'clang' was heard, followed by large footsteps running.

"There it is!" Hayner shouted as he equipped his struggle bat and then ran to the stage. There was small light, emitting from behind the podium. The light managed to give them a glimpse of a large body running to the backstage.

All five of them started to make pace. Determined in figuring out whatever it is making the noise. Was it really a monster?

Once they reached the stage, they decided to split up and ambush the thing from two sides. They have surrounded the only two possible exits. There's no other way for the monster to run now. Sora followed Hayner to the right exit while the rest ambushed from the other.

It was then Roxas noticed what made the small light they saw earlier.

'A torch… and… paper?' He thought as he picked up the objects.

"Roxas! Come on!" Olette whispered.

He nodded and quickly chased after them. They walked very slowly. The backstage was even darker as it had no window. There are many carton boxes stacked up. Most of them filled with costumes and other background decorations.

"Show yourself!" Hayner shouted. His struggle bat ready on his hands. Sora keeping close to his back.

Roxas used the torch he picked up and light the things within. A rather large sized figure wearing dark cloak was standing in between them. Its hair long and wavy. Once the light hit him, he ran away and charged at Hayner and Sora.

"Wait! Hayner! Don't hit him!" Roxas shouted. Hayner flinched at Roxas's words and stopped himself from hitting the thing with his struggle bat.

The monster thing ran past the two and charged towards the exit.

"After him!" Roxas commanded and they all ran after him.

"What are you thinking, Roxas? We almost got him!" Hayner protested. But then Roxas gave him the serious look and passed him the paper he found.

"If I'm right, then he's…" He muttered before they all sprinted and chase after the monster.

"Adam!" A female voice called. A young girl appeared at the exit. Although her face was quite unclear under the moonlight, they could see that the girl has a beautiful face.

"B-belle…" The monster replied.

"It talked!" Hayner jumped in surprise. Roxas chuckled at his friend's reaction and approached the monster.

"Oh come on, you guys, don't you figure it out yet?" He said with a grin as he took the paper from Hayner and returned it to the monster figure.

"Here. You're practicing this, right?" He said as he offered the paper.

"You mean… he's not a monster?" Pence asked, his voice full of doubt.

"That's why I told you to cut your hair… or at least tie them. Here." The young girl sighed as she let go of the ribbon tying her hair and tidied the monster figure's hair. Revealing the figure to be a human. A handsome one at that.

"He's a human, just like us." Roxas exclaimed.

"Ah… I'm sorry… I almost hit you with my bat…" Hayner said as he bowed down to the male. His heart filled with guilt. Adam looked away and scratched his chin.

"I-it's fine. I'm used to it…" He replied with a small blush on his cheeks.

"But… why did you run away from us? You can just say that you're not a monster or something. That way we don't have to chase you out." Sora said.

"W-well…" The boy said as he scratched his chin once again. "I thought you were security guards or something that I ran away… Sorry…" He apologized.

"Well, we're sorry too. Sorry for mistaking you as a monster. But… why were you practicing here this late?" Pence asked.

The girl, Belle, smiled and held his hands. "You're practicing for the choir club again, aren't you?" She smiled at the boy, which blushed and then looked away.

"W-well, I live in the dormitory, if I were to practice in my room, my voice would have disturbed the students. So I figured that the only place I could train is here…" Adam explained.

"So that's why…" Olette sighed in relief. The monster they thought existed in the auditorium weren't monster after all. It was only Adam, dressed in his usual messy style and sang in his hoarse voice.

"Well, you should go back. Lumière and Cogsworth are worried sick about you. They are looking everywhere for you. You shouldn't make everyone worry like that." Belle said with a sigh.

The boy, Adam apologized and then exited along with the girl.

"Sorry for all the commotion." He said before he walked away.

It was a long pause before the five of them sighed in relief.

"Well, we've cleared one of them. Let's go unto the next." Pence said as he walked out from the auditorium building.

'But… why is it unlocked?' Sora thought as they all exited the building. He gave the building one last glimpse before deciding not to think much about it.

"Well, the second one is in the main school building. They say there's a white ghost wondering around the hallway. It appears at random floors, though." Pence exclaimed as he read his small pocketbook.

"Ghost?" Sora yelled. His face paled again.

"What, are you scared, Sora?" Roxas teased. "O-of course not!" Sora said as he paced and walked past them.

Then he froze.

"What's wrong? Why did you st-" Hayner asked as he froze as well. His face grimaced.

"G-ghost!" He screamed. All of them focused on the direction Hayner was looking and caught a glimpse of white somewhere in the middle of the dark. The figure walked closer.

They all froze. Sora looked as if his soul was taken while both Hayner and Roxas gulped and tried to fight their fear. Pence was busy taking picture of the ghost while Olette hid behind Hayner.

"Roxas?" The voice spoke. It was a female's spoke.

"GYAAAAAAAAARGH!" Sora shouted. He tugged Roxas's shirt and pointed at the ghost aimlessly. "It spoke! Roxas! It's calling your name! It spoke!" Sora blabbered.

Roxas tried to calm his friend down while he focused on the ghost. It wasn't a ghost. He knew this voice too well.

"Roxas! Sora!" The voice called again. Sora was clinging to Roxas. Up to the point where he looked like a kindergarten kid bawling to his parent.

"Naminé." Roxas called as he sighed. Trying to let Sora go and make him realized the truth.

"Eh?"

Then there was the long silence.

.

.

.

"You thought I'm a ghost?" She giggled, breaking up the silence. Sora pouted and looked away, embarrassed. He was the one panicking the most. Pence deleted the photo he just took in disappointment. Olette sighed in relief while Hayner laughed at Sora.

"W-well… It can't be helped, right?" Sora replied with a slightly red face. "Although,I'm glad that it was you, Naminé." Sora sighed gladly.

"But… what are you doing this late at night?" Pence asked.

Naminé flinched and looked away. Looking for an excuse.

"I-I forgot my textbook…" She lied.

"I see, have you retrieved it then?" He asked.

"Eh? Well, no… I'm about to, though." She answered.

"Would you like to join us? We're figuring out this school's seven wonders. So far we've cleared up one… two if this one is counted. We can pass by your class to retrieve your textbook." Pence hummed.

"Sure." She answered.

"Then, let's go to the third one! The talking mirror at third floor." Hayner said as they all marched to the third floor.

"What happened? You're not supposed to be here…" Roxas whispered. She whispered back to him. "I'm sorry… but I can't stay back. The heartless are coming soon… I just… can't pinpoint where it is now. So I thought it's best if I come with you."

Roxas was about to send her back to Terra. But then he realized her determined eyes.

"But… it's dangerous. I don't want to put you in danger, Naminé." He muttered.

"…I know, but… I wanted to do something for you. At least, I wanted to be useful." She replied. Her eyes shining with hope.

"I promise I won't pull you back… and, if it's looking bad, I'll run back to the secret base. Please?" She begged.

He was defeated.

"…Well, it can't be helped. Promise me that you have to stay behind us. Don't do anything reckless, okay?" He sighed.

She beamed with happiness and nodded cheerfully. "Tha-" She sneezed. "Aah, I'm sorry… Thank you, Roxas." She apologized with a red face, totally embarrassed. He then realized that she was slightly trembling. Was she cold?

He sighed as he let go of the coat Ven gave him and put it around her. "Bring more clothes with you next time. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold, right?" He smiled as he adjusted the coat and then walked away.

"R-roxas? But… what about you?" She asked as she ran to catch up to him.

"I'll be fine. I'm a boy after all." He chuckled.

She smiled and then whispered "Thank you" to him.

"This is it, this is the mirror." Pence exclaimed as he identified the mirror. It was a large mirror placed right before the staircase.

"I don't see anything weird. And oh? Are you wearing Roxas's coat, Naminé" Olette teased. Naminé blushed and looked away.

"Do I sense lovebirds here?" Pence teased as well. This time, Roxas blushed and yelled at him to shut up.

"Wait!" Hayner suddenly cried. He put his finger in front of his mouth in a manner of telling everyone to shut up. They went quiet for a while.

Then a voice was heard.

"…ease… oh baby… on't go…le an..ean..s..th..ay that you're…ing"

"…huh?" Everyone was dumbfounded.

"Was that… a song?" Naminé asked.

"I think I heard 'Simple and Clean' by Utada just now." Olette said.

"But… this is weird, where did this came from?" Hayner asked.

"Shush, Hayner!" Olette cried.

The song kept continuing until then a male's voice was heard.

"..and..at was..le and …ean by Uta.. karu…Th..ext song, als..rom..tada…Dista…" The voice continued. It was unclear and it sounded more like an echo. But they could manage to hear it.

"Was it… a radio?" Sora asked.

"But… where's it coming from?" Hayner added as he searched around.

"Maybe it came from the air vent?" Roxas said as he pointed at the air ventilation right on top of them.

"Ah! I get it. The air vent must be connected to the guard post. He loves to turn on the radio at night and then fell asleep on it." Pence exclaimed.

"…Really? And how did you know that, Pence?" Hayner asked with disbelieving eyes. When did Pence learned all that, anyways?

"Ah, just some info I received to assure our hunt tonight. Anyways. Should we go to the forth one, then?" Pence said as he led the way to the fourth floor. Which was where the fourth one would be.

"So much for the commotion? And that guard isn't even guarding our school…" Hayner commented.

"At least it gave us the chance to explore the school." Olette said as she walked away from the mirror. Hayner and Pence followed suit. Sora chuckled before he followed them.

"Let's move, Roxas." Naminé said as she left. Roxas, in the meantime stayed behind. Looking at his reflection in the mirror reminded him of Ven. He couldn't lie to Ven about his coming to school tonight thanks to Hayner inviting Ven along. It was a good thing that Ven decided not to come. However, knowing his twin brother, maybe he would wait for him until he gets home.

"…I wonder what Ven is doing…" He muttered before he followed the rest.

Unknown to him that his reflection has changed into a dark shadow resembling Sora. The shadow smirked before it disappeared.

_Knock Knock_

"Ven… are you in?" A female voice asked through the door. Knowing the voice, Ven didn't bother to hesitate and unlocked it for her. It was Aqua.

"Aqua! What are you doing this late?" He smiled, welcoming the older teen and let her in.

"Actually, I need your help… Cinderella was having trouble fixing the dress for the drama club… She needs to get it done tomorrow and I wanted to give her a hand… but it seems that I won't make it by myself tonight and Terra is no use when it comes to these kinds of things… Would you lend me a hand, Ven?" She asked, showing dresses and gowns with loose ribbons and such.

"Sure." He smiled. "If we're doing an all-nighter… Would you like some coffee first?" He asked.

She smiled and thanked him. "Oh, do you have extra threads? I ran out of mine." She asked.

"I think I have some in my room…" He said as he prepared the coffee. "Hand on a sec, I'll get it for you." He said. However, Aqua cut him in. "I'll go get it." She said as she walked to his bedroom.

"Okay. I think it's in desk's drawer." He said as he boiled the water.

"Right." She said as she entered the room. She locked the room and then summoned her keyblade. Then she closed her eyes. Remembering her master's words.

"_It appears that there is someone trying to break into our system. The heartless… they are under control of someone." Eraqus stated to his two students. They were in Eraqus's office. Alone with just the three of them. Terra, Aqua, and Eraqus himself._

"_And…" He muttered as he summoned his keyblade and locked it to the walls. A white chain appeared as it hit the walls. A shade of darkness appeared, but then it faded to nothing. _

"_Someone is using the hollow of darkness to spy on us." He said. Both his pupils were shocked with his sudden actions. _

"_What? But Master! The hollow of darkness can only be accessed with a keyblade?" Aqua exclaimed. The old man nodded and turned his back. _

"_True. I won't say that there is another keyblade wielder. But the chance of it is not zero." Eraqus stated. His mind filled with an image of someone he knew well. _

"_Then that boy, the one controlled Ven the other day… Could he be the one behind this?" Terra asked._

"_I'm still unsure of that… However, he definitely isn't on our side." Eraqus sighed as he turned and faced his pupils with serious face._

"_There's something I need to do tonight. Terra, I command you to take control of everything tonight. Protect this place with everything you can. If it goes beyond you, do contact me at once." Then he faced the female keyblade wielder. "Aqua, go and destroy every darkness hollow you can find. Also, watch over Ventus…" He commanded. _

"_Yes, Master." The two of them exclaimed in unison. _

Once she pin-pointed the darkness hollow, she pointed her keyblade and released the same chains as her master did. The chains surrounded the wall and again, a shade of darkness appeared before it faded. Overthrown by light.

She smiled gladly to see that the threat was gone. She hurried to grab the thread and then exited the room.

"I finally found it. So, let's get this started?" She asked as Ven nodded in agreement. The two sat down on the sofa and began to fix the broken laces of the dresses and gowns.

"Ukiii!" A screech was heard. The six of them ran to chase a brown haired primate. The monkey was carrying a white cloth around. Anyone else would assume him a ghost for he jumped around and ran in such a high speed with such little body.

"You're not getting away from me!" Sora shouted as he leaped and tried to catch the monkey. Sora had been the first one to scream out the moment he saw the white floating cloth that looked like a ghost. It turned out that a monkey was running around with the cloth on its hands.

The monkey grinned and then jumped away from Sora at ease. Causing him to bump into the wall and ignited Sora's anger even more.

"You!" Sora shouted as he chased the monkey even more.

Hayner and Roxas ran past the monkey and cornered him from two sides. The monkey, however was clever enough to jump past them. Causing them to bump into each other.

The monkey then entered the home economics room, jumping around and accidentally turned the spinning wheel. Loosing so many threads and made mess around the room.

"Ah!" Pence suddenly exclaimed, remembering the fourth wonder. Which was the messy home economics room.

"It's said that at night, the spinning wheel turned on by itself and covered this room with threads!" Pence exclaimed. Now they knew why the room was such a mess.

"Abu!" A voice shouted. A dark skinned boy appeared along with a beautiful dark skinned girl. They both looked happy when they saw the monkey. The monkey, as if recognizing them, jumped and perched on the boy's shoulder.

"Abu! There you are!" The boy sighed in relief.

"Al..laddin?" Sora muttered.

"Sora!" The black skinned boy called. Then he realized the situation and bowed down in apology.

"I'm sorry to cause so much troubles…" Said a boy with dark skin. He then introduced himself to everyone as Alladin. The girl next to him smiled and introduced herself as Jasmine. The two of them were Sora's friends, as well as the hottest couple in the secondary year.

"Hey, chill it Al!" Sora exclaimed with a grin.

"So… it was Abu's doing… sneaking into the home economics room and mess around with the sewing machine… Seeing how he walks around carrying that white cloth, he must also be the reason of the ghost in hallways." Said Pence, taking notes. He looked as if he's enjoying this.

"We're very sorry… Abu loves to sneak out at night. I'll try and teach him not to sneak out to school next time… hopefully." Alladin sighed as he looked at his smiling little monkey.

"Well, maybe he's just lonely because you rarely played with him these days." Jasmine smiled as she teased the little monkey on his shoulder. As if understanding her, the little monkey nodded.

"…We can spend our days together, instead of just you and me." Jasmine suggested with a smile. Alladin blushed and can only nodded in agreement. "I-if that's fine with you…" He muttered back.

"Of course." Jasmine stated. Then they said goodbyes to the six. Leaving them to continue their investigation. Well, not until Naminé suddenly stopped and warned Roxas and Sora about the incoming Heartless in whispers.

"The next one is in the music room. They said sounds of instruments could be heard from within." Pence explained.

"Instruments? Isn't it usually just pia-" Olette spoke. But was then cut with the spell. All of them but Roxas, Sora, and Naminé were stopped from moving.

"Heartless!" Sora yelled as he summoned his keyblade and searched around.

Naminé was trying to pin-point the heartless while Roxas watched over the three teenagers.

"I got it! It's in the music room!" Naminé exclaimed as she pointed at the music room, which was not that far away from the home economics room.

The two, Sora and Roxas barged in and saw a horde of flare notes and bubble beats heartless. In the middle of the horde was a human-like heartless with three large instruments floating around it. It appeared to be controlling the instruments.

"Damn it! This place is too cramped! We'll end up breaking things!" Roxas cursed as he tried to beat the annoying flare beats.

"But we can't let them leave this room. Hayner and the others are at the outside!" Sora said as he helped Roxas to beat the bubble beats.

The humanoid heartless swung its baton and commanded the three instruments, Drums, Violin, and Trumpet to attack the two at the same time. The instruments charged and trapped them within. It slammed hardly at them.

"Damn it, there's not enough space to run…" Roxas commented as he tried to destroy one of the instruments. It was hard to defeat the heartless. Especially since the flare notes and bubble beats kept casting cure on themselves and to their allies.

"These guys are so annoying. We have to beat that big one first!" Sora yelled as he charged and performed Sonic Blade. He charged in and then thrust his keyblade continuously against the Trumpet.

Roxas meanwhile kept slashing his keyblades at the drum. He used Criss-Cross and destroyed the Flare Notes and Bubble beats surrounding him. He swung his keyblade around that damaged anything that touched the circle. Including the drum. Although, the drum was more invulnerable than he thought.

The drum rolled, and then charged to Roxas, sending him off the ground.

"Roxas!" Sora yelled in a worried tone. However, he was soon hit by the musical notes honked by the trumpet. "Blasted Trumpet!" Sora yelled as he charged and hit the trumpet with blitz. Destroying it at once.

"One down!" He yelled. Sora smirked and then charged at the Violin.

Meanwhile, Roxas, still focusing on the drum concentrated his strength on his keyblades glared at the drum. He charged in and then threw the drum up to the ceilings. He jumped and then swirled his keyblade around him to make a barrier of keyblades. The enemy was pushed to the side. The drum was thrown hard to the wall as it vanished.

"Two!" Roxas smirked. However, they were unaware that the Symphony Master had gone mad and then threw its baton against them in a similar way to Sora's strike raid.

The baton managed to hit both Sora and Roxas and landed a pretty large damage. If this continues, both of them will pass out for sure. What's more ironic was that neither of them learned how to use cure…yet.

"Roxas! Sora! " Naminé screamed in terror. She was watching through the window. Unable to see the battle any longer, she decided to leave and call for help.

"Please hang on! I'll bring Terra!" She exclaimed as she ran as fast as she could to the library.

"Sora… you didn't bring any potions?" Roxas asked as he stood behind Sora's back, watching his partner's back as Sora did the same.

"The thing Kairi made? I think I've run out of those…" He chuckled. They were now surrounded by the large amount of Flare Notes and Bubble Beats. Not to forget the Symphony Master with its Trumpet ready to blast its horrifying sound waves.

"…I'm about to try something crazy. You up with me, buddy?" Sora asked with a grin. His face somewhat scared but determined. Roxas looked at him and then smiled.

"Game on, partner." He said as he listened to Sora's plans.

As they linked their hands, a light sparked and formed a link between them. Their strength was doubled and shared. Although, during this condition, the damages they received were also shared. They could feel each other's pain[1].

"Roxas!" Sora called as the two jumped into the midair and locked onto their enemy.

"Come on!" Sora yelled as they performed long strikes of slashes together into the violin and then slammed it hard onto the wall.

"Sora!" Roxas shouted as he reached out to the brunette. Sora took his hand and threw him to the air as he used the collision to send himself back down and struck his keyblade to the ground. Creating an impact with the energy he received from the force.

As the impact managed to deal area-damage to some of the heartless, Roxas summoned pillars of light that surrounded himself and Sora. The pillars of light moved and destroyed most of the musical notes heartless.

The move left the Symphony Master alone. The heartless began to charge at them as it jumped and attempted to slam itself on them.

"Roxas!" Sora shouted as he pointed his keyblade to Roxas

"Last one!" Roxas yelled as he threw his keyblades diagonally, performing a reversed triangle with Sora's keyblade.

Light began to shone from their keyblades and took form that of a heart. The light blasted off and destroyed the symphony master at once.

Roxas fell down and made a high-five with Sora. The two then sat down and laughed together. They were beat up. But they were glad that they managed to take down the horde of Heartless.

"You make a good other." Roxas chuckled.

"You too." Sora grinned. Not long after that, the three, Hayner, Pence, and Olette arrived and made a confused look at them.

"Eh? I thought you guys were behind us!" Pence exclaimed as Sora and Roxas tried to hide their fatigue and injuries. "We-we're too excited that we ran here!" Sora said.

"That's impossible! When did you ran here anyways, were you trying to make an 'eight' wonder?" Hayner chuckled as he inspected the room.

"Where's Naminé? Wasn't she with you?" Olette asked as she tried to look for the blonde girl.

"A-ah, maybe she went to take her forgotten thing? Anyways, we found nothing in this room. How about you guys go check this room and me and Roxas go look for Naminé." Sora stated as he dragged Roxas out from the room and skidded away.

They ran to the library and checked the secret base. However, there was no one there. Not even Terra who was supposed to be there.

"Strange… where are they? And here I thought I would ask Terra to cast Curaga on us…" Sora pouted.

"Sora! Look!" Roxas cringed as he pointed at one of the monitors. It showed Terra battling a rather large Heartless shaped like a spinning wheel. Naminé was behind him. Her face looked shocked.

"There's another one?" Sora exclaimed as the two sprinted to the location shown on the monitor. The home economics room.

"But… why is time moving?" Sora asked while panting. Roxas gritted his teeth and paced to the home economics room.

"Like hell I'd know!" He answered as he jumped through the stairs and hurried to the home economics room. His mind completely filled with worries.

He tried to open the door. However, it was blocked by something. Sora tried the window, however, it was completely covered by threads. They can only see through the gaps between the threads, which are not helping them about the current situation.

"Naminé! Terra!" Roxas called as he knocked on the doors.

There was no response.

"Naminé!" Roxas yelled as he searched for the spots uncovered by the threads.

Naminé seemed to realize him and ran to the window. She tried to say something, however her voice was blocked by the threads. She then picked up her cellphone and dialed Roxas's numbers.

"Roxas!" She called.

"Naminé! Are you alright? What's going on?" Roxas asked through his cell.

"I-I'm fine… Terra noticed that something was not right about the home economics room… So we went to check it, but…"

A loud crash was heard.

"This monster suddenly appeared… and now it locked us in with its threads… Roxas… I-I don't know what to do…" She cried.

"Keep calm, Naminé!" He cried, trying to calm her down. He gritted his teeth and tried to push the window open.

"Can you do something about the threads?" He shouted.

"I-I'll try something!" She said with a trembling voice as she tried to search for anything that could cut the threads. She noticed a small pocket knife fell down from the card box the monster threw to Terra.

She picked it up and began to cut the threads that surrounded the door.

Waiting was the hardest thing to do. Sora and Roxas could do nothing but watch the monster and Terra attacking each another.

The Wheel master then noticed its thread being cut by Naminé. It was angry and then shot its thread to capture the girl. Only that it hit Terra instead of her.

"Terra!" She shouted. Terra struggled to free himself from the threads. "I'm fine, just focus on the threads." Terra said as he broke free from the threads and then attacked the monster back.

She nodded and hurried in cutting the threads.

"Done!" She shouted as she finished cutting the threads. She slammed the door open and allowed Roxas and Sora to enter the room and helped Terra.

"Naminé!" Roxas shouted as he ran to her with a really worried face. Sora followed suit and ran to help Terra.

"Are you alright?" He asked with a really worried tone.

"I'm alright, but Terra…" She said as she looked at the older man with worry. But when the two glanced over, they saw how the impossible happened.

Sora ran with his keyblade ready. He jumped and slammed the monster. The monster lost its balance once it was hit, and then vanished into darkness.

Both Roxas and Naminé were dumbfounded.

The tall brunette smiled and then walked away from Sora. He looked tired, but his wounds were totally healed. As if he wasn't injured from the start.

"Don't tell Sora about this, but… I already finished that monster when Sora came to help." Terra sighed.

The wheel master was strong. It was able to freely control its threads and trapped Terra to continuously dealt damage upon him with its wheel and arm. When angry, the wheel master would charge itself upon Terra and dealt another large damage.

It's not like Terra was unable to fight the Wheel Master. However, his movements were limited by the many things placed in the home economics room. One false move and he would break everything within.

Terra advanced himself in brute strength. Therefore, everything he touched, break. He limited his own speed and only attacked whenever he saw nothing could break. It took a long time to beat the monster. Although he was proud of his stamina, this style of battling took a lot from him.

He then noticed that the monster was no longer focusing on him. Instead, it shot its strings towards Naminé, who was trying to cut the threads that blocked the door.

'Shit!' He thought as he ran as fast as he could to block the threads from reaching her.

"Terra!" She screamed.

"I'm fine, just focus on the threads." He said. Well, he isn't that fine, but at least he's still able to hang on. He quickly broke free from the threads, however, the monster quickly charged at him.

Terra was thrown with the last tackle. An orange star shaped charm fell from his pocket. He quickly grabbed it and squeezed it to his chest.

'What should I do…?' He thought, he couldn't last any longer. He couldn't pass out now. If he passed out, who knows what would happen to Naminé.

'Aqua…Ven…lend me your strength…' He spoke through his heart.

Back in Ventus's room, the similar green charm on his bag glowed. Another one, a blue charm shone from Aqua's pocket. Aqua took it and made a concerned look while Ven looked out to the window.

'This light… Terra? Did something happen?' Aqua thought as she examined her wayfinder. She placed it close to her chest.

"…Terra?" Ventus muttered.

"Eh?" Aqua muttered with a surprised face.

"Ven, what did you just say?" She asked. The boy gave her a confused look and tried to remember.

"…Terra." He repeated. "…Aqua, I don't understand…I…I think Terra's in danger." The boy muttered, then chuckled. "He's supposed to be in his room, right? Silly me…" He muttered, then he saw the blue charm on her hand.

"Aqua…that charm…" He was about to question her, but she smiled at him.

"It's a wayfinder. I gave you one long time ago. Do you remember?" She asked, truthfully, she was afraid. She never dared to ask him this question. Although she had wanted to know. She was afraid of him forgetting the bond the three of them, Terra, Ven, and she made.

"I…I'm sorry, Aqua, I don't really remember…" Ventus muttered.

She was shocked. It was painful to be forgotten.

"But…Somehow, I knew. I cherished that charm. I don't remember when I got that, but… It is a very important thing to me." He said as he placed a hand on his chest.

She wanted to cry. Ventus didn't forget them after all.

"Thank you, Ven." She said to him. Then she looked at the window. 'Terra, Ventus is here. He didn't disappear like you said.' She thought as she held the charm close to her again.

絆繋ぐ舞水[Dancing Waters Forming Bonds]

絆守る大地 [Vast Earth Protecting Bonds]

絆巡る疾風[Swift Wind Returning to Bonds]

Light glowed from Terra's body. His injuries were cured and a newfound strength engulfed him. His speed became faster and he could block the enemy's moves at ease. He smiled and brutally landed damages on the enemies.

Finally, he finished it off with his Ultima Cannon. In which his keyblade turned into a giant bazooka, and then fired an enormous blast.

"Thanks…Aqua…Ven." He sat before he lost his balance and sat down.

The monster, although he was still there, was burning away in dark flames, waiting until it disappeared completely into darkness.

"Did you see that? I finished it with one hit!" Sora chirped as he jumped around cheerfully. As if he wasn't hurt.

"Come on, Sora. It was just your luck…" Roxas muttered. How could the child be so foolish that he didn't realize the monster has already been defeated before he attacked it.

"Whoa, I must be really strong… to defeat such a big heartless in one hit!" Sora exclaimed happily, totally didn't listen to Roxas.

"Roxas, you're hurt…" Naminé muttered as she examined Roxas. Both him and Sora were injured, although not fatally.

"We're fine. We needed some help to heal though, since both Sora and I haven't learned how to use cure yet." Sora said, scratching the back of his head.

"If that's so, then please use this." Naminé said as she handed three bottles of Hi-Potions. Each for every one of them.

"Whoa! Thanks a lot, Naminé!" Sora grinned as he snatched one and then drank up. His wounds were treated, yet he still felt the fatigue of beating the monsters. At least he won't look suspicious now.

Terra and Roxas did the same and got their wounds healed. Although, nothing much changed for Terra.

"Kairi told me to bring some with me. I don't need it, so you guys can have it." Naminé said.

Then there were sounds of footsteps marching downstairs. He could hear Hayner's scream and Pence's excited humming. "What happened?" Hayner asked as he entered the room. But then he saw Terra and flinched.

Terra squinted his eyes in a manner of trying to remember the boy's name. However, Hayner got the wrong idea and took it as Terra intimidating him.

After all, Terra was a senior. A third year at that.

"Well, I'll take my leave, now." Terra muttered before he returned to the secret base.

Hayner was frozen still for a few moments until Terra exited the room.

"Uwaaah, that scares me." Hayner said as he sighed gladly.

"You mean Terra?" Roxas asked.

"You knew him?" Pence asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"He is my half-brother. Of course I knew." Roxas answered. He could see Pence's eyes shone brightly and wrote down something on his pocketbook.

"Half-brother? Then that means, is your…" Hayner asked.

"Yeah, he's my adoptive father. Only Ven is related to me by blood. Although, among us, Ven is closer to Terra." Roxas explained.

"I see… but, what's he doing here?" Pence asked as he looked back. Only to find Terra completely gone.

"Ah, he just went to check up on me. I didn't realize he was calling me since I changed my phone to silent mode." Roxas lied. Which seemed to work.

"If that's so, then let's continue. Didn't want to make your brother worry. We found out that the instruments in the music room made sounds because of a mouse. There was a mouse hole and a mouse jumped into the piano. So that must be it." Hayner explained as he remembered how they all panicked when the piano suddenly sounded.

And then a mouse popped out from the piano, showing its innocent little face.

"The next one is in the chemistry laboratory. They said that there is a potion that can make you small there." Olette exclaimed as they all moved to the Chemistry lab.

"You mean like the one in Meitant*i C*nan manga?" Sora said in astonishment.

"Maybe." Pence hummed again as he flipped his pocketbook.

"Wait, you guys believed that such things exist?" Roxas said, sweatdropping in the process.

"We'll never know until we see it, right?" Hayner chuckled.

The chemistry lab was placed at the fourth floor. Next to the biology lab and the physic lab. Surprisingly, the lights were turned on.

"There's someone there…" Hayner whispered as he told them all to get down. They all crawled and then peek through the windows. There were two people inside.

"No way!" Sora muttered as he saw the two men.

It was Professor Vexen and Sir. Zexion, the literature teacher.

"I'm sure this one will work." The old man with long light blonde hair said to the other.

"The last time I tested it, I got knocked out. I had no intention of ever tasting your potion again." The blue haired said with a sigh, reading what seemed to be a chemistry book.

"Fine, I'll test this one myself!" The old man said as he gulped down his chemical experiment.

Then there was silence.

"…What's he doing?" Olette whispered.

"I don't know. Could that be the shrinking potion?" Hayner guessed.

"…So, did anything change?" Zexion asked. He waited for a change and Vexen seemed to be hesitating in doing whatever he wanted to do.

Then suddenly his hair slipped down. Revealing a clean shiny head.

"Ienzo! What are you doing?" Vexen screamed. He took his wig from the smaller version of Zexion. The young boy gave him a blank face. "It's still bald…" He commented.

"Forgive my dear brother, , but he was right about it. Now let's go home, Ienzo." The blue haired man said as he took the smaller boy's hand and then exited the room, only to find the six children trying to hold their laughter.

"Wait! Zexion!" Vexen yelled as he ran to catch up with him. His wig on his hand and his head still clean like a lightbulb.

And that became the destructive nuclear bomb to the children.

"Pfff…BWAHAHAHA!" Hayner laughed. His eyes letting go tears of laughter.

"H-his head… his head is…" Sora muttered as he tried to hold his laughter.

"My stomach hurt, pffftt…" Roxas said as he held his stomach.

Even Naminé and Olette were looking away, trying to hold their laughter but still let out soft giggles.

Pence was writing happily on his pocketbook. Totally enjoying the situation

"Ah, they found out." Zexion commented calmly.

3

2

1

"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" Vexen exploded in anger.

"Ahh, we got caught." Hayner commented. He sighed in disappointment.

"At least we found out about 's secret. Although we got so many punishments in exchange." Pence chuckled.

"I can't believe that he's actually bald. Oh my, how will I face him tomorrow?" Olette said with a smile.

"Well, should we continue to the last wonder? It's late, though…" Sora exclaimed as he placed his hands behind his head.

"Well, only one is left. I might as well check that out." Hayner said as he looked at the others. None disagreed with him.

"Then, the last one is on the roof." Pence exclaimed as they all marched to the roof. Only to find the door locked.

"It's locked." Sora stated.

"Whaaat? Man, and we're this close…" Hayner pouted.

"Well, we can always find the key and then checked it out." Pence suggested.

"Where would the keys be?" Olette asked, wondering.

"I think it's either in the faculty office… or the janitor's room." Roxas muttered.

"Okay, then, Pence, Olette, you're coming with me to the Janitor's room. You three check the faculty office, 'kay?" Hayner said as he left to the Janitor's room with the other two.

"Then let us go to the faculty office?" Sora asked. But then the door suddenly opened by itself

"Ack!" Sora jumped in surprise and leaped back in defensive style.

"It's opened…? But… how?" Naminé asked.

Roxas approached the door with caution. He gulped and then kicked the door open. Revealing a raven haired boy smirking on the edge of the roof.

"Welcome." Vanitas smirked.

"You!" Roxas yelled as he pointed his finger at Vanitas. His stomach boiled. He gritted his teeth in anger. He wanted to punch his smug face. He wanted to beat him out. After all he'd done.

"Oh please, It's Vanitas, not 'you' " He sighed.

"What do you want?" Sora shouted.

The dark haired laughed and then leered at them. Dark shadows engulfed the roof. From the shadows, large minions of small monsters appeared. They looked similar to shadow heartless. Only a little bit smaller and it has blue skin. Its eyes similar to the two monster they just beat.

"What are these?" Sora yelled in surprise as he summoned his keyblade and destroyed those that gotten near them.

"They are what I feel. A horde of fledgling emotions under my control. Unversed" Vanitas smirked.

"Unversed?" The three of them shouted in unison as large amount of unversed appeared and pinned them to the ground.

"Let's see…" Vanitas said as he approached Naminé and released her from the Unversed grab. He then took her hand and then dragged her to the edge of the roof.

"Let me go!" Naminé struggled free. However, Vanitas was far stronger than her.

"Naminé!" Roxas shouted as he struggled to free himself from the Unversed. "Let go of her!" Roxas screamed. He was, however left ignored by Vanitas.

"I see, you're the daughter of Ansem. Tell me, where did he hide the key?" He asked to the girl, which faced him with a confused face.

"What key?" She asked in confusion.

"He hid it within you, didn't he? The key to forge the X-blade?" He yelled at her. He was so scary. Still, she was clueless with what he meant.

"I don't know what you're talki-"

"Silence!" He yelled again

Roxas can only watch the situation helplessly. Anger boiled within him even more. First he tried to use Ventus. Now, he was hurting Naminé. He couldn't let that happen.

"LET GO!" Roxas shouted as whirlwind was summoned around him. Allowing him to break free from the unversed. He glared at Vanitas. His face filled with hatred.

Vanitas smirked at him.

"Oh? You want to play?" He teased. His hand gripped Naminé tightly that she wasn't able to struggle free. "You should know that if you tried to attack me, this girl would get hit as well, don't you?" He chuckled evilly. With his other hand, he reached out for something. Darkness engulfed his hand and then took form into a long blade.

It was a keyblade.

"Keyblade?" All three of them shouted at the same time.

"It's said that a keyblade can extract human hearts. I wonder if it's true." Vanitas said in a playful tone as he pointed the keyblade to Naminé.

"Stop!" Roxas shouted.

"Well, if you kneeled down and begged, I guess I could spare the girl's life." Vanitas laughed.

At that, Roxas couldn't do a thing. He watched Naminé begging him not to do that. He watched how she struggled through Vanitas's grip. He watched how she cried for him.

He heard her voice. He heard her cries. Then he heard nothing. He disposed everything around him and then crouched down.

"…Please…" He managed.

Vanitas laughed. But he pretended he didn't hear him.

Naminé cried. But he ignored her pleas.

Sora protested. But he looked away.

He just wanted Naminé to be safe.

"Well then… die." Vanitas laughed as the Unversed minion returned and attacked Roxas.

"Roxas! Roxas!" Naminé cried helplessly. She struggled even more.

"Stop…STOP!" She shouted. Then something glowed from the ground. It circled around Roxas and Sora. Light came from the circle and blasted the Unversed crowding the two.

"What?" Vanitas flinched. A circle appeared under his feet and blasted him away. Resulting him to lose grip of Naminé. However, as he was pushed aside, Naminé also lost her balance, and then was thrown off the roof.

"NAMINÉ!" Roxas screamed as he jumped from the roof to reach her.

'No…'

'This isn't happening, no no…'

'NO!'

He grabbed her, and then shielded her with his own body. Hoping that it would at least saved her from the crash.

'Will I…die?' He thought as he looked at Naminé's panicked face and how the sky is moving away from him.

CRASH!

"Ven?" Aqua called as she heard the voice of glass breaking. She found Ventus kneeling down and grabbing his shirt. Next to him was broken mug of newly brewed coffee. Ven was holding his chest tightly. As if something was hurting him inside. His face showed agony.

"Ven, are you alright?" Aqua panicked. The boy didn't respond to any of her calls. He just panted. His face grimaced and then he started screaming.

"Aaagh! AAARGH!" He screamed. Aqua was trying to support him and found out what was wrong. She tried to calm him down, however her attempts were useless.

"Roxas!" Ven yelled before he passed out.

"Roxas! Naminé!" Sora shouted as he ran to the railings and looked down. Vanitas had yet again fled through the dark panicked and searched for his two friends. Hoping that they would somehow survived. Then he saw the impossible. Wind was engulfing Roxas. He was floating in mid-air. Just a feet from the ground. He hugged Naminé tightly. None was hurt.

"W-what?" Roxas asked. Then the wind faded and allowed the two of them to fall to the ground.

"What…just happened?" He asked again, then he looked unto Naminé. "Are you hurt, Naminé?" He asked.

She was trembling. Her eyes showed fear. Tears flowing down from her eyes. She grabbed him and then hugged him tightly. Making his face red once again.

"…scary…" She managed.

No one would be not afraid after falling from such height. Although, it was a miracle that the two of them survived.

"H-hey… it's okay, now… Don't cry…" Roxas muttered as he shed her tears.

"I-I'm sorry…" She let out small hiccups. "I'm… scared." She muttered slowly.

Then he decided to let her cry on him.

"Sorry, Roxas…" Naminé said as she finally calmed down.

"It's okay. What matters is that you're alright." He smiled.

She smiled as well. "Thank you" she said with swollen eyes.

"Let's go, we can't disappear for long. Hayner and the others might be back soon." He said as he helped her up and then walked to the roof once again.

"Sorry we took so long… We couldn't find the key in the janitor's office." Hayner muttered in apology as they met in the main hallway.

"It's fine. We've already got the door opened, anyways. What is the seventh wonder?" Roxas asked.

"I'll tell you once we're there. Let's go." Pence said as he hummed to the rooftop. They bumped into Sora as the brunette tried to jump down the stairs in an inhuman speed. He had a really worried face. He fell onto Roxas not so gracefully.

"Roxas! Naminé! You're alright!" He said with a really worried face.

"Alright? Did something happen?" Hayner questioned with a confused face.

"A-ah, we kind of got lost and separated." Roxas lied. Well, there was no way he could tell Hayner he fell from the roof and then somehow survived.

"Lost? Ah, well the school is dark at night." Pence noted.

When they finally reached the roof, Pence took his pocket note and then read out the seventh wonder.

"The seventh wonder is seeing your doppelgänger at night." Pence stated. They waited for a while until they got tired of waiting and decided to call it the night.

"Oh! Could it be?" Olette exclaimed suddenly as she saw her shadow. "Perhaps people are mistaken their shadows as their doppelgänger?" She noted.

"Could be." Pence stated.

"What, if it's just shadow then it's no fun at all." Hayner sighed. "Man, what a party pooper." He commented, but then he smiled. "Well, at least it was fun today." He chuckled.

All other five nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye!" Hayner said as he ran to his home. Pence and Olette did the same at the next intersection. Unlike them, Hayner, Pence, and Olette lived in their own house.

"It was fun today." Sora commented.

"Yeah." Roxas nodded in agreement and Naminé just smiled.

"Although, you guys gave me a heart attack. How did you do that, anyways? You know, floating?" Sora asked.

"I…don't know myself. There's wind engulfing me, and it stopped me from falling. And…" Roxas placed a hand on his chest. "It felt warm here." He said.

Sora raised an eyebrow, then turned to Naminé. "About that light… Was that you, Naminé?" He asked.

She went quiet… as if looking for an answer, and then shook her head. "I'm not sure, either… All I did was thinking that… I don't want him to hurt Roxas." She blushed.

Roxas blushed as well and then looked away.

"We'll ask about that." Sora chuckled. "Anyways, we have to report to Sir Eraqus about Vanitas and the Unversed." Sora muttered.

Naminé looked down, but then nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right." She muttered. Her head filled with questions and Vanitas' words about the X-blade.

"A new enemy." Roxas stated.

"Well, let's rest for the night and prepare for tomorrow. It's useless thinking about it when we're tired." Sora chuckled.

"Yes. Well, see you again tomorrow." Naminé said as she walked to the girl's dormitory.

After waving goodbye to Naminé , the two boys walked to the boy's dormitory.

"Phew, I'm tired. I'm gonna sleep like a bear tonight!" Sora said cheerfully as he walked to his room. "Night, Roxas!" Sora grinned as he entered his room.

"Night." Roxas replied as he entered his own. His room was dark and there was a note on the table.

'Thank you for helping me tonight, Ven! From : Aqua' It said.

"Aqua was here?" Roxas asked as he get changed and quickly slipped to his bed. Ventus was lying asleep on the other bed.

"Night, Ven." Roxas muttered as he smiled to his twin.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the middle of the woods was an old factory building. Burnt marks remained untouched. Eraqus was there, his hand tracing the burnt mark on his face. He was remembering. It was where he found Ventus and Roxas and then took them in.

"Xehanort… You can never let it go…" Eraqus muttered as he left the place.

[1] This is something like a combination of Limit break [Roxas's ability] and Limit [Sora's ability]. It will combine their strength but in the same time, they will feel each other's pain. Meaning, when Sora receives damage, Roxas will feel it as well.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. [Thank you for reviewing X3]

Roxas woke up to find Ventus still asleep. It was normal, he thought, until he saw the clock. It was already past seven and school starts at eight.

"Ven, you better get up or else we'll be late." He shrugged as he approached his twin and shook him up. Ventus isn't waking up. He remained motionless on his bed. As if…

As if he's dead.

Roxas removed the thought from his head and then tried pinching him. He froze when he touched his cheek.

"Ven?" He called. His lips trembled. He touched his cheek again to confirm it. There was no mistaking it. Ventus' cheeks, they are cold. Not just his cheeks, his entire body temperature are far too cold for a human.

"This… is a dream, right?" Roxas muttered. He hugged Ventus close. Trying to warm up his twin. That was when he realized that Ventus was not breathing. And there was no heartbeat.

"Ven, wake up!" He shouted. He shook him in attempt of wakening the boy. But Ventus won't wake up. He didn't even stir.

"Wake up! Wake up!" He cried desperately.

"Wake up…Ven…" He muttered, he gave up. He hugged him tighter. He buried his face on his brother's chest. He didn't want to show anyone his crying face, even though there was no one but him. Then he heard a 'thump'.

Ventus stirred and then opened his eyes slowly. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Roxas?" He called. He then jumped in surprise seeing Roxas clinging to him so tightly.

Roxas didn't gave a word. He just stayed there like a koala bear. He was too embarrassed to explain the situation. Although, he was happy to see Ven awake.

"Roxas? What happened? Why are you… hugging me like that?" Ventus asked as he tried to let go of Roxas. But the younger just won't move. He tried to see Roxas' face, but his twin managed to hide them well.

"Roxas?" He called again, then he realized that Roxas was slightly trembling. "Roxas… are you… crying?" Ventus asked. That was when Roxas pulled Ventus's pillow and then slammed it hard on Ventus's face.

"Stupid Ven!" Roxas yelled before he ran to the bathroom with a demonic speed. Leaving Ventus clueless with the situation.

"…What happened?" Ventus muttered.

"You seemed to be in bad mood today, Roxas…" Sora commented when he saw his friend's face. "You can blame Ven for that." Roxas replied. Their first period was gym and won't give any more comment but to make them run ten laps. He only said that stamina is the first thing they need to build before doing anything else.

"Well, what did Ven do?" Sora asked as they ran side by side to finish the ten laps.

"He…" Roxas was about to answer. His face showed a sad expression… but then he sighed in gladness and smiled. And the next second Sora knew, Roxas was giving an annoyed expression. Sora waited patiently for Roxas to tell him while trying to figure out why Roxas was giving a mixed expression at the same time.

"So… what did –" Before Sora managed to finish his sentence, Roxas already lunged forward and ran away from Sora.

Sora twitched in surprise and then ran to chase after Roxas. "Roxas! Why are you running away?" Sora called as he chase after his friend.

"Hoo, that kid is amusing as always, don't you think?" A red haired teen said as he watched Roxas from the window. A blue haired teen was next to him. A huge X scar on his face.

"We had no time for him, Lea." The blue haired said as he walked away.

"Don't call me by that name. It's Axel, now. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" He laughed as he left the window and followed his friend.

"Whatever." The cold teen replied.

"It's weird, though. It's as if he has a heart. He was able to express his emotions like that." The red haired gave Roxas another glance.

"His other might have done something. You heard what Master Xehanort told us, right? His half is missing."

"Then, you're saying that the 'other half' went to Roxas?"

"It's possible. With the help of Keyblade, extracting one's heart like that is possible."

"Heh, now I'm jealous." Axel chuckled as he looked away.

"Our mission is to find the key Ansem hide. It should have been in this school… or most likely, in his daughter. Hence why the auto-protection was activated last night." The blue haired explained.

"The laser thing that blasted Vanitas?" Axel asked.

"It's something that only Ansem could make. It might be activated because she was in danger last night. It would be bad if she learned how to use it."

"Right… anyways, Saïx…" Axel muttered as he watched his friend kept walking.

"What?" The blue haired groaned as he turned.

"The laboratory is this way." Axel said as he pointed on the stairs to help his friend.

It was first break and Eraqus has collected all of them but Terra in the headmaster's room. They all watched with serious face. Wondering whatever announcement Eraqus had to make.

"Where's Terra?" Sora asked.

"Watching over Ven." Aqua answered. "In case that black haired guy strikes back, you know…" Aqua said to him.

"Few of you might know what I'm about to say… I'm afraid that we might have to face a new enemy under the name of the Unversed." The old man said.

"Unversed?" Both Riku and Kairi asked at the same time.

"The Unversed, unlike the Heartless and the Nobodies, they came from one source. And that source is the black haired Sora. He claimed to be named 'Vanitas'." Eraqus explained again. Sora and Roxas went quiet. They saw it with their very own eyes.

"Naminé, is it true that you are unable to sense the Unversed?" Eraqus asked. The blonde haired nodded and looked down. "I'm sorry…" She muttered.

"No matter. It only means that we have to look into this Unversed matter even further. Starting from today. No one shall roam alone. Each must go in pairs. Do you understand?" He commanded.

"Yes." They all said in unison.

"Naminé, that goes for you too. Don't go anywhere alone." Eraqus said to the blonde girl. And she nodded in response.

"Let's move to the next thing… Riku." He called. The silverette nodded and stepped forward to give everyone a copy of something.

"This is from the newest Ansem report I found. I've encrypted it." He said.

"Thank you for your hard work." Eraqus said as they all started reading it.

Naminé gasped when she read it.

'_χ-blade'_ the title reads.

'_χ... A most ancient letter. Some say "kye," but the meaning is the same. Death... A letter that spells endings._'

'_I have reached_ _a conclusion to my research. Keyblades, as known are used to protect the light from darkness that appears from behind that door.'_

'_However, there are other kind of keyblade. The χ-blade '_

'_This keyblade, coexisted with Kingdom Hearts. An almighty force existed beyond that door.'_

'_It is only forged when two hearts of equal power intersect-one heart of pure darkness, one heart of pure light. At the time of its forging, Kingdom Hearts appears. It must be noted, though, that this Kingdom Hearts is special. Unlike the Kingdoms brought about forcibly and artificially through the collection of hearts, THIS Kingdom Hearts is a perfect and complete union of ALL the worlds' hearts.__'_

'_There's only one place to forge the __χ-blade. And that place is [ ]'_ 'The paper read. It was blank.

"It's blank?" Sora asked as he pointed on the blank after he was done reading.

"Yeah, there's nothing written in it. I thought it might be hidden with some kind of a trick, but I still can't find out." Riku explained.

"Do you know something, Naminé?" Kairi asked, seeing her cousin trembled in fear.

"No… but yesterday, Vanitas asked me where the key to forge χ-blade. But I really don't know where, or even what it is." She explained.

"But… it's said that it needs a heart of pure light and pure darkness. And… well, a heart isn't something you can see, right?" Sora asked.

"A heart of pure light and pure darkness…" Aqua muttered. She then looked at Kairi with a worried face.

"Vanitas… I can sense that his heart is filled with darkness." Kairi stated.

"Then, is he looking for a heart of pure light? Is he trying to forge this χ-blade?" Roxas asked.

"It kinda makes sense if he used the heartless to steal every people's hearts in search of 'pure light'." Riku said.

"Pure light and pure darkness… it's said that they are what needed to forge this χ-blade. But they are not the key, right? They are merely just ingredients…" Naminé exclaimed.

"A certain place is needed to forge the χ-blade. The key he mentioned might be the key to that place." Riku guessed.

"At any rate…" Roxas muttered then he approached Naminé. "He might be after Naminé." He said.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"He said so, didn't he? Vanitas was sure that whatever key that is, it is hidden within Naminé. He might come back." He said while looking at her.

"Is it true, Naminé?" Eraqus asked. She gulped and then nodded to confirm it.

"But… hidden within her? Is it even possible?" Kairi asked.

"Perhaps this key isn't something that could be physically seen." Riku stated then placed a hand on his chin. "Like… passwords for example. He might have told you. Did you know anything?" He asked the blonde girl.

She tried hard to remember anything. But then she shook her head. "…I don't know. He never told me anything. Besides… I could barely remember his face." She muttered sadly.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Riku apologized, then he looked to Eraqus.

"I shall go and seek for more information." He noted to the master and left once the master gave him permission to go.

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked.

"Actually… I can barely remember what happened when my father went missing. It's… as if my memories were wiped out. When I came to, I was already at Kairi's place." She said with a small chuckle.

"Ah…sorry…" He muttered. 'So that's why she spoke as if she didn't know her father. It's not that she didn't acknowledge him. It's because she didn't know.' He thought.

"Well, it's fine. After all, I have you guys now." She smiled looking at everyone.

"Right." Sora smiled. The other three nodded in agreement. Naminé smiled gladly seeing her friends.

"Oh!" Naminé yelped suddenly. "I almost forgot. Last night, a mysterious force helped us beat the Unversed." She exclaimed.

"When the Unversed attacked Roxas and Sora, a beam of light appeared from the ground and blasted them away. It also managed to deliver a hit to Vanitas. Although…" She then remembered the rest. Which was scary and she decided to keep to herself. After all, who knows what Kairi would say if she knew that she fell from the roof.

Although, Roxas saved her.

Then again, what was that force that saved them from the fall?

"I see… I'll look into this. Well, you may all go." Eraqus stated.

They all left but Sora.

"What is it, Sora?" The old man asked. "Sir Eraqus, I had something to say." Sora said with a serious face.

"It's about Ventus." Sora stated. Eraqus sat on his desk, and then listened to him.

"Ventus… knew about Vanitas. He said he'd been seeing Vanitas in his dreams…" He said. He hesitated for a bit, then finally said it. "Sir Eraqus, I think we really need to tell Ven about what we're doing. Ventus had the right to know. He already knew about Vanitas. He might know something else. Let him know about us, and we might find out something from him." He suggested, but what he received was a cold glare from Eraqus.

"No." The old man replied. "Ventus had nothing to do with us. What he saw were merely dreams. We can't be too sure of that. We can't let him involved with this." Eraqus replied.

Sora knew that. He didn't want to put Ven in harm's way. But… "But, he… he had been trying hard to know. Sooner or later, he'll find out. When that happened, won't he just get even hurt?" Sora muttered.

"Then work so that he won't find out." Eraqus replied with a cold tone.

"But!"

"No buts… Ventus is a normal student. He is not a keyblade wielder like you or me. We can't drag him into this." He said as he glared at Sora again.

"Now, if you would be so kind, please leave me alone. I need time to think." He stated. With that, Sora left the room in silence. Once Sora closed the door, the old man sighed and then took a photo from his drawer. It was a picture of himself with Terra, Aqua, and another boy that looked just like Ventus or Roxas. Except that they were years younger. They were smiling to the camera. They looked like a happy family.

'What was that? I was sure that I saw Roxas falling from the roof…' Ventus thought as he walked through the hallways. Ignoring the so many people chatting around. He was walking around aimlessly. Absorbed into his own thoughts.

'Then… after that, I .' He sighed. How could he be so weak?

'And then…I saw…white…flowers.' He scratched his head. He couldn't remember them clearly. Although it might be another key to his forgotten memories.

'Then, when I woke up… Roxas… was he crying? Well, I'll just ask him after school. He's probably busy having lunch with Naminé right now.' He thought again as he walked to the cafeteria. He didn't manage to make a lunchbox today since he woke up late.

"Roxas!" Naminé called when she ran to catch up with the blonde boy. The boy turned and then bumped into her. Resulting them both to lose their balance and fall.

"Ack! I'm sorry, Roxas! Are you okay?" She cried out. The boy chuckled and then offered her a hand.

"I'm fine. What about you, Naminé?" He asked. She blushed in embarrassment and then nodded with a smile. "I'm perfectly fine. Ah! Here, I forgot to return this to you. I've washed it. Thank you for lending it to me last night." She said as she handed him a bag with a white coat in it.

"Ah, so that's where it is. I was wondering why I couldn't find my coat." He chuckled. Naminé stared at him with confusion. What was he saying? Oh wait,

"Ven?" She asked.

"Yup." The boy replied with a smile.

She blushed again in embarrassment. "Aah, I'm sorry. I thought you're Roxas, sorry…" She apologized.

Ven smiled at her. "It's fine. We're twins and we got mistaken for each other often. Well, thank you for returning this to me." He said.

"No, it's me that's supposed to be thanking you. Thank you for lending me your coat. I must go now, sorry, Ven." She said before she bowed down and ran to the art room.

Ventus sighed and smiled at the girl.

"Roxas could be such a gentleman sometime." He commented before he was called by Terra and Zack to go to the cafeteria together.

In the end, they didn't get to go home together since Roxas said that he'll hang out with Naminé, Sora, Riku, and Kairi to the mall.

'Well, I can just ask him at home.' Ventus thought as he walked home alone.

But then a voice called to him. "Ven!" It was Terra. He was carrying a wooden sword with him.

"Are you going home?" The taller brunette asked him.

"Terra!" He called back, then nodded to answer his question. "Then, would you like to hang out with us? It's Friday after all." He asked.

"Sure, that sounds fun!" He smiled. It's been a while since the three of them managed to do something together. So many things happened. And he had been spending his time worrying about his dreams. It's time to cut some slack.

"Great! I'll tell Aqua. Can you hang onto this? I'll be right back with Aqua after I grab my bag." Terra said before he started running.

"Okay." Ven answered as he held unto Terra's wooden sword. Although, the shape of the sword was quite weird. It's shaped like a key. But it was made with fine woods. And it looks durable enough to be used as a practice sword.

'…But, wasn't Terra in the Kendo club? Kendo swords don't look like this, do they?' He thought as he tried swinging the blade. It felt weird. Even though he was holding it normally, he felt so wrong.

Then he tried holding it backwards.

Perfect.

He could swing it at ease. It's weird. His hand could move on its own. He could even hear Terra's words echoed through his mind.

"_You're trying too hard to move your body. You need to learn to let your body move you. Right?" _

Then a picture of Terra holding the blade appeared on his mind.

"…That's weird. I can't remember when he said that." Ventus said with a smile. This blade seemed so familiar.

"THIEF!" An old voice shouted. Ventus jumped in surprise and tried to search for the thief. A man ran past him, holding a black bag. He wore a big coat that hid his entire body. Ven examined the suspicious man. Could he be the thief?

"Help! Thief!" An old man appeared and pointed at that suspicious man. The old man was losing his breath and was gasping for air. Behind the man were a few polices trying to catch the thief. However, the thief was fast. Ventus knew what to do.

"You won't get away, thief!" Ventus shouted as he ran after the thief. Apparently for the thief, Ven was way faster than him. It was weird. But Ventus could ran and dodge the people at ease.

'Strange… my body is…' He thought, then a smile escaped his lips. His body moved on his own. He could catch up to the thief with no trouble at all.

The thief saw him, and then took a knife from his coat. He threw it at Ventus.

"What?" Ventus shouted as he blocked the knife with Terra's wooden blade. The thief panicked to see Ventus able to block his attack and then made haste to flee from Ven.

Ventus, now angered ran until they reached a clear area.

"You're mine!" Ventus shouted as he threw Terra's wooden keyblade to the thief. It managed to hit the thief and made him lose his balance. The wooden keyblade returned to him like a boomerang. Ventus ran to the thief and sealed his movement with his body weight. The thief tried to struggle free. But then stopped once Ventus struck Terra's blade next to the thief's nose.

"Don't even try." He intimidated.

Then polices arrived on the scene. Capturing the man and led him straight to police station.

"Ooh, thank you, boy. You saved my bag!" The old man with top hat and a cane smiled. For some reason, Ventus could swear he'd seen this man somewhere.

"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help." He said as then he walked away. Terra would be looking for him if he stayed for too long.

"Wait a moment, laddie!" The old man called. "Don't I even get a chance to repay ye?" The old man huffed as he stomped his cane to the ground.

"Oh, you don't have to." The blonde smiled and then turned to run back to school's gate.

"Now, just hold yer horses. I dinna mean me fortune. Maybe a wee bit o' gold, or a small token of..." The old man thought. Ventus looked back and started to worry about Terra looking for him.

"Well, could you make it fast?" Ventus pouted.

"I know! I've just the thing in me hat!" The old man smiled and then took off his top hat.

'…You can actually put things in your hat?' Ven thought as the man pulled out something from his hat.

"Here. These are lifetime passes to Disney Town. Enough for you and your friends." The old man said before he left with the polices.

"Hee…" Ventus muttered as he examined the cards the old man gave him. There are ten cards in total. Then he finally remembered who that man was.

"Ye'll have buckets o' fun there, or my name is not Scrooge Mcduck!" The old man waved his hat before disappearing along the crowds.

"I remember now! He's… the richest man in town!" Ventus gawked in awe. He couldn't believe who he just met. He had to tell Terra and Aqua about this. They must have been looking for him by now.

With a little smile on his face, he ran back to the school gate.

"Ven!" Aqua shouted with a glad smile on her face when she saw him running to them.

"Ven! There you are! You made us worry!" Terra said as he huffed in gladness.

"Terra! Aqua! I'm sorry… there was a thief and I chase after him. It was a long run and I lost track of time. But then I managed to catch up and…and guess what? I met Scrooge Mcduck!" Ven said rapidly in high speed.

"Slow down, you're talking too fast." Terra said as he tried to catch up with him. He then noticed how Ventus was holding the wooden keyblade.

"Oh, that's right. Here's your sword, Terra!" He said with a cheerful smile as he handed the sword.

"O-oh, right." Terra said as he took the blade from the blonde.

"It's a weird looking sword, isn't it? Is it for the kendo club?" Ventus asked. Terra went quiet for a while, then answered him.

"E-eh, well… No. This is my old wooden sword. I used to…well, play with this. You can have it if you want." Terra said.

"I can have that? But what about you, Terra?" He asked back.

"Nah. You seemed to like it. Besides, it's not like I still use it for practice. The kendo club doesn't accept this kind of sword." Terra smiled as he handed it back to Ven.

Ven beamed with happiness. He looked at Terra and then took the blade once the brunette nodded at him. He held it out again then smiled. "Thank you very much, Terra! I'll cherish it!" He chirped in happiness.

"Well, shall we hit Radiant Café, then?" Terra suggested. "Sure!" Ven smiled and then walked to lead the way.

"Come on, Aqua." Terra called to the speechless Aqua. She was too surprised seeing Ven with the wooden keyblade. It was just like the old times.

"You were right, Aqua. Ven is here. I guess… even if he forgot, we're still carved deep within him." He said as he looked to the sky. Aqua smiled at him and then nodded in agreement.

"Terra! Aqua! Come on!" Ventus called from afar.

The two looked at each another and then smiled.

"Wait up! Ven!" They said in unison as they catch up with him.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. Thank you for your reviews ^^ I'm so happy. Reviews motivated me to write more XD

Facts ! (Every little things I haven't manage to explain Q_Q)

1. Kairi makes the potions, Hi-potions, and Elixirs. Unlike the others, she didn't possess many fighting skills and her most used magic are Cure. It's true that Cure is a higher skill than Fira, Blizzard, or Thunder. Yet, it's the only skill Kairi mastered. She is however, able to enchanted water with Cure spells, which are potions =3

2. The 'Scrooge Mcduck' here is human. Not a duck. Uh, just… imagine him as a human. Please do. Or, search google. You'll find him XD.

3. Vexen is bald. Ienzo is Zexion's younger brother. Ienzo is somewhat a genius and Zexion and Ienzo lived alone. Unable to leave Ienzo alone, Zexion decided to bring him with school at night to help Vexen make a chemical to restore his hair.

4. Beast here is also in his human form. (And Beast's name is Adam, btw XD). You'll find more Disney characters as human here, btw.

5. About Vexen's sudden illness (that saved Roxas in chapter 10), it's not illness. He lost his wig that day. Ienzo's messing around with the wig. (And I forgot to explain, silly me.)

6. Ventus's condition. I know that his condition is weird. But trust me, there's a big explanation to this. If you look closely (squint, actually), you'll find out why he's been fainting a lot and sleep longer than usual… hopefully. XD Well, I won't tell you.

Roxas stared at his coffee cup. His face gradually changed from worry, annoyed, and sorrowful. His expression confused the others around him.

It began with a small invitation from Kairi, said that she wanted to try the new café in the mall. She asked Riku, Sora, and Naminé to go with her. And Naminé has invited Roxas in. Roxas wanted to refuse at first. But then again, he wasn't ready to see Ventus. Not after what he'd showed him today.

And so he agreed to go with them.

"Roxas, are you alright?" Naminé asked. Her face a little bit worried.

"Eh? Well…" He muttered. All four stared at him. Waiting for him to answer.

"I'm fine. Just…" His face was sad, but then it changed again to be annoyed as he blushed. He looked away and answered that it's nothing.

"Come on, Roxas! You've been acting like that for the whole day!" Sora pouted, he was unable to find out the reason behind Roxas's mixed feelings, and was annoyed by it. Roxas grumbled and ignored him. He didn't want to tell. Especially not when Naminé is around.

'Damn, why did I thought Ven died this morning…' He covered his face with his hand. Trying to shrug it off. All the misunderstanding made him paranoid. It felt as if Ven would leave him any second.

'It's alright. He's no longer passing out… ' Roxas told himself. Although today, Ven showed the symptoms of sleeping longer than usual just like before. But he did stayed up late with Aqua last night, so it should be normal, right?

But then, what about Ventus's cold skin and… his stopped heart?

"Roxas…is it because I mistook Ven as you today? I mean, I wanted to return the coat to you, but I mistook Ven as you instead. I'm sorry if it bothered you…" Naminé apologized.

Now, that is new.

"Why are you apologizing? Heck, I don't even care about the coat. Besides, we're twins, so we get mistaken a lot." Roxas smiled. Naminé really cared a lot about what other people feel.

"But… I heard that twins fought a lot because they are mistaken as each another…" She muttered back.

"Well, we're kind of used to it." Roxas chuckled.

"Now that I think of it. Do you guys have any difference? Like, birthmark or something?" Kairi asked.

"No, I don't think so." He answered.

"Well, then, how did your mom differentiate you two?" She asked, wrong question.

He went quiet.

"Roxas?" She called.

"…I don't remember." He answered. "I don't remember anything from my childhood. Not before found me and Ven." He said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't… sorry…" She apologized. 'That's right… Roxas is adopted by .' She told herself as she punched her head. 'How could I forget that…' She sighed in apology.

"It's fine. I'm happy with how things are. After all, I have Ven, and you guys now." He smiled. Sora let out a big grin and put his hand on Roxas's shoulder.

"That's right, you have us!" He grinned.

'Yeah, things changed.' He thought as he laughed along with everyone.

'When did I start to be able to laugh like this?'

'When did I start to care about people around me?'

'When did I look at you as a brother?'

"I'm home." He said. He had fun today. He could even completely shrug his embarrassment off his head.

"Welcome back." Ven greeted. A wooden keyblade on his hand. Roxas stared at the sword. Wondering where did Ven got that keyblade-shaped sword.

"Did you have fun?" Ventus asked with a smile. Roxas could tell that Ventus is definitely having fun today. Whatever it is that made him scattering flowers behind him.

"Well, yeah." He chuckled as he dropped his bag on the sofa and rested from the long walk. He eyed the wooden keyblade curiously. He wanted to ask. But he couldn't tell Ven that it was a keyblade. Although, looking at how Ven held the sword, it was different than how any of them held a keyblade.

"Ven, what is that?" He asked, pointing at the wooden keyblade.

"This? Terra gave it to me!" He answered happily. Like a child that got a new toy. "Well, I can see that it belong to Terra." He said as he glanced on the name carved on it. "But what exactly is that? And why did he give it to you?" He asked again.

"Well… I don't exactly know what this is, but…" He held the keyblade close to him. "I feel happy whenever I carry it. You know, like finding something that is lost." He smiled sheepishly. "And Terra said he didn't need it anymore so he gave it to me." He said as he swung it around.

'Well, whatever makes Ven happy, I guess.' He thought to himself as he glanced at the cards scattered on the coffee table. He took one and examined it.

"Oh, that's right. I got these tickets to Disney Town. I'm thinking of inviting everyone as my thanks for the party you threw for me." He said as Roxas counted the cards. There are 8 cards in total.

"I already gave Terra and Aqua. I already asked Hayner and he said he, Pence, and Olette are going to the beach this Sunday." Ven pouted in disappointment.

"Zack is going to the gym with Herc to train." He added. "I just wish Sora and the others replied to my text with a 'yes'." He said as he glanced at his cellphone.

"Wait, you have their numbers?" Roxas asked.

"Sora gave it to me." He answered. Then there's a slight 'ping' from his cell. "Oh, it's Naminé." He said as he opened the message.

'Naminé? How could he ask her out so easily?' Roxas thought with a slight jealousy.

"She said she'll come with Kairi." Ventus said to Roxas, who looked at him with a somewhat jealous look on his face. Ven took the chance and teased him. "What? Are you jealous because I get to ask Naminé?" He joked.

And Roxas blushed madly. "O-of course not!" He said as he turned his face.

Ven could only chuckle when he heard another notification from his cell. This time, it's Sora. Saying that he'll drag Riku with him.

"So." He cleared his throat as he took a ticket and shove it to Roxas with a mischievous grin. "Wanna thank your brother for the date I set up for you?" He grinned.

He glanced at the clock. The long hand barely reached 12. It's still half an hour than the promised time. He fidgeted. He never went into an amusement park after he lost his memories. He might have been into one before, but he couldn't remember. He looked around and saw people holding hands with their girlfriend and boyfriends.

"Anxious, much?" Ven asked at his fidgety brother. Terra and Aqua were already there. Now they'll only need to wait for Sora, Riku, Kairi, and…

Naminé.

"Oh, shut up, Ven." Roxas grumbled as he kept looking at the entrance. Waiting for a certain blonde girl to show up.

"Heeey!" Sora yelled as he waved from afar. "Sora's here." Ven exclaimed as he glanced at the clock. Right on time.

"Sorry! Did you wait for long?" Sora asked as he ran to them and panted. Behind him were Riku and Kairi.

"Nah. You came at the right time." Ventus chuckled.

"We could have gotten sooner if someone could wake up earlier." Riku laughed. Teasing Sora, who blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, come on, Riku! Besides, Kairi also took a long time, didn't she?" He said as he glanced at the maroon haired.

"Girls have lots of things to do." She pouted back at Sora.

"Where's Naminé?" Roxas asked as he looked around. He felt disappointed when he couldn't find her around. It won't be fun without Naminé around.

"Eh? But she was here just a little while ago…" Kairi said as she glanced to her back, finding nothing but air. Then she spotted someone hiding behind the bush. She smiled and went to drag the certain blonde girl out from her hiding place.

"But, Kairi… I… I can't…" She muttered quietly. "Come on, Naminé, be confident! That looks good on you!" Kairi chuckled as she dragged her cousin out. Revealing Naminé with a cute white Lolita dress. She was blushing like mad and was frozen as she saw Roxas. She couldn't say a word. It felt as if she could faint at any time soon.

Meanwhile, Roxas was blushing as red as her. His head is currently filled with her. He couldn't think of anything else and just stare at her.

"Aww, that outfit is so cute." Aqua commented as she examined Naminé carefully. "Right? I knew that this suits Naminé best!" Kairi smiled, seemingly proud of it. Ven noticed Roxas's frozen state and nudged him. Motioning him to say something about her outfit.

"Ack!" He was about to glare at Ven when he saw his twin already glaring at him. Somehow those eyes spoke to him to be a man and say something about Naminé's outfit. He scratched his neck and then faced the girl once again, who seemed to be waiting for Roxas to say something.

"Uh…" He paused. Looking for the correct words. She's so cute. "That…looks great on you." He managed. He could feel Ven's disappointed glare at him. It stabbed him on the back like an arrow.

'You could have said something nicer.' Ven whispered to him.

'I can't help it, she's way too cute!' He whispered back.

Then he looked at Naminé, who seemed to be completely out of mind. With her tomato face, she approached Roxas and muttered "Thank you" with very small voice, which just made her even cuter.

"Well, let's go, then?" Ventus said as he gave them the tickets.

"You're kidding! It's really a lifetime pass?" Kairi exclaimed as she examined the card. Disney Town was the biggest amusement park, as well as the most expensive that one must work hard in order to pay for one ticket. And now, on her hand was a lifetime pass that allow you to re-enter the park whenever you want to. "How did you get this thing?" Kairi asked with excitement. Ventus just shrugged and looked away. "Well, it's a long story…" Ventus chuckled.

"Anyways, what do you guys want to play first?" He asked after they went through the ticket checker.

"Since you invited us here, why don't you choose for us?" Sora grinned again as he placed his hands behind his head. "Let' see, then…" Ventus muttered as he checked the brochure that contains the amusement park's map.

The amusement park was divided into seven sections in total. World Bazaar, Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Critter Country, and lastly Toonworld.

The nearest district was World Bazaar, however, this district doesn't have any attractions. It worked as a main shopping center where people could buy souvenirs and stuff. Although, there is something really special in this district. That is, the fountain of the three musketeers.

The fountain depicts an image of three heroes. The first one was tall and had a big round shield on his right arm. The second, seemingly the captain of the heroes, was the smallest one with big round ears and held out something to the sky. That something was broken, but from the posture, one would guess that it was a sword-like thing. The last one has the shape of a duck, it wore a magician hat and was holding out its staff.

"The three knights" it said.

"Some said that they were real." Aqua said when they were all admiring at the big fountain located in the middle.

"…Really?" Roxas said as he examined the statue. They look fictional enough. They look like something that would only pop out on arts or TV.

"Have you decide, Ven?" Sora asked as he waited impatiently. He couldn't wait to ride as many attractions as he could.

"How about this one?" Ven offered as he pointed at the map. All of them gathered around him and look at the place he pointed at.

'Extreme Rocket Dragon Coaster' it said.

Ven smiled innocently while some of them were already frowning.

"Is that… the fastest ride here?" Naminé asked nervously. Ven only nodded in response with a really happy smile on his face.

"Sounds like fun!" Sora exclaimed happily.

"I think it's too early for that… don't you think?" Kairi muttered. A little scared of the super extreme roller coaster.

"Well, it is quite far from here. Let's save that one for later." Ventus smiled as he examined on other rides. He couldn't wait to test out the roller coaster.

"How about we go and walk? It's useless just standing here. We can always test the rides one by one." Riku suggested. There was no objection.

In the end, they circled the amusement park and enjoyed every big rides. It starts from the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster, where they get on a train and shot the targets with laser guns and collect points. They had a blast in this. Although they never would have thought that Aqua would beat the old high score.

They enjoyed twirling in a spinning teacups, flying on Dumbo the flying elephant ride, watching a 4D adventure of Alice in Wonderland, watch a live musical drama of Lion King, and finally the Extreme Rocket Dragon Coaster.

In which all but Ven had motion sickness.

"How can you be fine, Ven?" Roxas asked his very healthy –looking brother, whom looked at him with the really bright smile. "Eh? That was a really awesome coaster, don't you think? Shall we go for it again?" He invited. But they all frowned at the invitation.

"Can we take a rest for a while? I think my head's going to explode…" Sora muttered as he rested on a nearby bench.

"Are you okay, Naminé?" Kairi asked with a concerned look to her cousin. Who had swirls on her eyes. "I'm…okay, I guess." She replied back with small voice.

"I'll go get drinks for you guys, then." Ven chuckled as he watched all of them making tired face. "I'll help." Riku said as he followed him.

"Man, he didn't change." Terra chuckled as he watched Ven disappear among the crowds with Riku. "Speed is his field." He said as he sighed and looked up.

"Hee, so Ven is a speed demon ever since childhood?" Sora asked curiously.

"Meh, I had hard time catching him whenever he runs from me." Terra sighed while Aqua chuckled next to him. "He thought you're a bad guy and then ran to hide from you." She chuckled.

"Man, I did nothing wrong. All I did was asking him a few questions…" He looked away as he remembered the situation.

"When was that? How come I didn't know?" Roxas asked with a confused face.

"Well, you guys were still quite shocked after the incident. You probably didn't remember well. Still, unlike Ven, you're just like a zombie, Roxas. You just stay there and stare at us with that robot-face." Terra commented.

"Incident?" Sora asked.

"Well… I don't really remember. I was told by Sir. Eraqus, that my parents died in an accident. All I remembered was that there was fire… And… me and Ven are already outside. Ven was badly hurt, though. That was when Eraqus came and save us." Roxas told him as he tried to remember. He didn't want to remember that scene when he saw Ventus hurt and himself perfectly fine.

They all went silent hearing that.

"I'm sorry, Roxas… I had no idea…" Sora gave him a guilty look.

"It's fine, it's all over. I told you, I had Ven and you guys, now." He smiled. Then he wished. He wished for everything to stay the same.

"…You sure you want to go here…Kairi?" Naminé asked nervously. Kairi chuckled and glomped Naminé tightly. "Come on, Naminé. This might be your chance for you to get closer to Roxas." She whispered to her with a smile.

"Kairi? H-how did you…" She blushed. Kairi made the playful grin and then teased Naminé even more. "Oh, it's pretty obvious. Although that Roxas would have to work a little harder to get Naminé from me." She grinned at Roxas as she glomped Naminé. In a manner of making him jealous.

Roxas, of course, knew what Kairi was planning. 'Damn you, Kairi.' He glared at the maroon headed.

'Nu-uh, you're one thousand years too young to hug Naminé.' She spoke to him through eye contact. Making a fierce eye staring contest right in front of the haunted house attraction.

"I know, let's go in pairs and see who gets out the fastest!" Aqua suggested.

"But how will we determine who goes with who?" Terra asked.

Aqua then tore the brochure she got from the entrance into smaller rectangle pieces that resembled a ribbon. She made 4 long pieces and then folded them into two. She hid the folded part with her hand and then scrambled the papers.

"Everyone take one." She said. Then, as everyone took the tip of the papers, she let go of her other hand. Revealing whose paper connects with whom.

Sora ended up with Ven, Kairi with Aqua, and Terra with Riku. Which leaves Roxas alone with Naminé.

'No way…' Roxas thought as he looked at Naminé with a blushed face. Naminé did the same with a really happy but embarrassed face.

"…They sure are one dorky couple, aren't they?" Kairi said as she watched the two watching each another with embarrassment.

"I won't lose to you, Riku!" Sora exclaimed. "Oh, is that a challenge?" Riku teased back.

"This could be considered as a form of mental training." Terra commented as he looked at Aqua, whom nodded in agreement.

"Have fun, Roxas." Ventus said, teasing his twin. "Shut up, Ven." Roxas pouted as he walked awkwardly with Naminé.

"Let's go, Ven!" Sora called as he entered the gigantic building. "Get ready, Terra!" Riku called as the brunette followed him not far behind. "We can't lose, Aqua!" Kairi said as she chase the other four. And with that, Roxas and Naminé were left in the entrance.

"…W-we can't lose either, Roxas!" Naminé said to the blonde boy. Roxas nodded and then entered the haunted house together with her.

It was dark and cold inside. They were led with only little lights. According to the information board, there should be three stages inside. The hospital stage, the mirror stage and lastly, the hell stage.

They were currently in the hospital stage. In which the environment were made to resemble a hospital at night. The lamps are blinking as if they are broken and there's an awful medicine smell lingering in the air.

"This felt like a real hospital, don't you think?" Roxas tried to lighten up the mood. But it didn't seem to help Naminé. Poor girl got scared and was unable to speak. She just walked very slowly and carefully next to him.

Then suddenly a zombie popped out from the room and surprised them.

Both of them screamed in surprise. She hugged him in reflex. And for a second, Roxas was frozened. Not by fear, but by pure happiness.

"Aaah, I'm sorry, Roxas…" She muttered with a really terrified face. She looked as if she could cry any second or sooner.

"It's alright. Let's move then?" He said to her as they walked for some more anxiously. Preparing their heart for the incoming surprise.

Although in the end, Naminé screamed at every surprise.

It was rather terrifying. But they managed to get away from the room safe and soundly.

"You okay, Naminé?" Roxas asked to his terrified friend. She looked just like a scared little mouse and she was really on the verge of crying.

"I-I'm fine." Naminé said with a horrified look. She clung her hands on Roxas's jacket. She was trembling in fear. Roxas knew what to do.

"Here." He said as he took her hand and held it tightly.

"I'm here, so don't be afraid." He said with an assuring smile. She felt a little relieved and then nodded before they entered the second stage.

The mirror stage was filled with many mirrors. It was like a maze. They had to find a way out on their own. It would be troubling if they get separated.

"Don't let go of my hand, Naminé." Roxas said. She nodded and held his hand tightly. They walked slowly as they looked for an exit.

"Ven! There you are!" Sora yelled as he suddenly jumped out of nowhere and glomped Roxas.

"Sora?" He yelled back. "Roxas? Darn, then where is Ven?" He asked with a worried face.

"What do you mean where, he was with you, wasn't he?" Roxas said as he started to panic as well.

"I was with him. But… he disappeared when I wasn't looking. I tried looking for him, but I can't find him anywhere…" He muttered.

"Have you tried calling him?" Roxas asked. Sora nodded and then answered that the number couldn't be reached.

"…Not again…" Roxas muttered. He didn't want that to happen again. What if Vanitas took Ven again? No, he can't let that happen. He must find Ven, quick.

"I'll tell Terra and the others." Naminé said as she reached for her cellphone and texted everyone.

"Where did you last see him, Sora?" Roxas asked. Sora gave a thought and then tried to trace his way back. "Uh… this place is like a maze. I couldn't exactly tell where I lost him." Sora muttered as he walked around, Roxas and Naminé following not too far behind.

"Sora?" A voice called. It was Riku.

"Riku!" Sora called back. But then he noticed that Terra was not with him. "Where's Terra?" Sora asked. "He…he disappeared." Riku said with an unsure voice.

"Disappeared? What do you mean?" Roxas asked.

"Well, I was reading the text Naminé sent me when… Terra was suddenly gone." He tried to explain. But he could see the huge question mark on his face. Even Riku was unsure with their current situation.

"What's happening…" Sora muttered when suddenly his phone rang. It was Kairi.

"Sora! What should I do?" Kairi yelled through the phone with a panicking voice.

"Kairi! Calm down, what's happening?" He replied.

"I-It's Aqua… She suddenly disappeared to the mirror!" Kairi cried.

"What?"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. Again, reviews help me write. Please do review X3.

It was really dark. The only light in that room were the lights emitting from the computer screen before the bald man. Behind him were two teenagers. One with red hair and another with a huge scar on his face.

"Master Xehanort." The red haired called. The bald man smirked and turned to face the two.

"No.i and are ready, Master." This time the blue haired spoke as he motioned for another two hooded figures to enter the room.

"A test shall be conducted." The bald man said as then a portal of darkness appeared. "Vanitas, you know what to do." The man spoke to the black haired boy that came out from the portal. The boy didn't say anything and led the two hooded figure somewhere else with the dark portal.

_Along the road a head lies something you need. But don't be afraid, don't stop walking. _

"…Who?" Roxas muttered. He felt like floating. He could see nothing but white. Everything is so bright and warm. It lulled him to sleep. He felt like forgetting something really important. What was it?

Then everything came back to him.

"Ven!" He shouted as the brightness disappeared and he fell to the ground. He was no longer in the haunted house. Instead, he was in a long white corridor with broken pillars.

"Where am I? Where's everyone?" He muttered to himself as he turned to look for everyone. He then tried calling Naminé. But for some reason, he couldn't call anyone. It felt as if he had been thrown into a different dimension.

_Along the road a head lies something you need. But don't be afraid, don't stop walking. _

The voice echoed. Again, it felt just like words popped into his head. He gritted his teeth and screamed to the voice. "Show yourself!" He yelled. But he gained no reply.

Angry and confused, he decided to run and look for the others. How did this happen? He was still with Naminé, Sora, and Riku a few moments ago.

…Could it be that Ven and the others went through this as well?

"Ven! Naminé! Anyone?" He yelled through the endless corridor. He had been running for approximately 15 minutes now. This corridor was as long as hell. There was no entrance, nor exit. It felt as if he was trapped within.

He panted and looked down. What if he could never get out from here? No, he mustn't thought of that now. He had to look for everyone first.

Then something suddenly came down. It was a card. He picked it up and then examined it. "What's this?" He asked as he examined the picture shown on the card. It depicted the clock tower of Twilight Town.

"…What do I do with this?" He asked as then the card shone and disappeared as a door appeared before him.

It was just like when he first encounter with the keyblade stuff. Where he was standing on a stained glass of himself sleeping. No wonder why the voice was a little bit familiar. Perhaps this voice was also the voice guided him back then.

He closed his eyes for a second, and then braced himself to walk through the door.

_Don't be afraid._

He remembered that same exact words.

"What do you suppose we do here?" Terra asked to his companion, which happened to be Aqua. Aqua shook her head while examining their surroundings. They were sitting on the edge of the hills. There was a big castle standing proudly before them. It was Terra's home.

"…I don't know. Wait until something happens?" Aqua muttered. They tried exploring the castle, but they can find nothing suspicious.

"But… how did we get here? We were in that haunted house, and then we're suddenly in that long corridor when a door and a card appear out of nowhere." Terra blurted out. He and Aqua were guided through the same card and same door into the empty ground. None knew how they ended up into this place.

"Along the road a head lies something we need." Aqua repeated. It sounded almost like a riddle, or maybe, it is one. They both heard that voice. Neither knew whose voice that was.

"Someone's coming." Terra suddenly took alert as he heard a vehicle coming down the hill. It was Eraqus's car with the said man driving it. "…Father?" Terra yelped in surprise as he saw a slightly younger Eraqus getting out from the car.

Then, a childish laughter was heard from behind. Two children, a boy and a girl ran past them and greeted the man. It was himself, and Aqua. Much younger than now. He remembered now.

This was… his past.

"Father!" The younger version of Terra greeted with a pant. He seemed to be in hurry, and so did the young Aqua. They both looked worried. The younger Eraqus nodded and waited for two blonde children to get out from the car.

They looked identical, twins, most likely. One with a bandage over his head. Both of their eyes looked lifeless. As if they had just returned from hell or something.

"...Ven?" The young Terra asked. His face showed confusion. Aqua was watching quietly behind him. She was trying to differentiate the twins. However, the only thing she could differentiate was the bandage over one of the twins.

"…W..wh.." The one with the bandage tightened his grip on his twin as he made a frightened look towards young Terra.

"Ven?" Young Terra called again, trying to guess which one is who.

"…who are you?" He managed. He was trembling. He looked really scared. As if he was facing a monster.

The words struck him like a knife. Terra knew just how much it hurts him when Ventus said that. He knew that Aqua felt the same. He knew this scene too well.

It was what he tried to forget. And now, it's coming back to him.

"Why are we seeing this?" Aqua muttered. She looked very pained from the scene. It was not just because Ventus forgot them, no.

It was because they were unable to accompany them when he needed them the most.

"Where am I?" Sora asked as he felt the warm sunlight. He could hear the calm ocean wave and the whispers of the wind. It was Destiny Island. It was his home.

"This… is my island." He stated as he looked around. There was no trace of anyone there. No Ventus, No Kairi, No Riku, Nothing.

Sora watched the ocean for a while until a light bulb appeared before his head. "I must be dreaming!" He stated as he tried pinching his cheeks. Sadly, it didn't wake him up.

"Grr… Come on. You can't lead me here for nothing!" Sora yelled. Surely whoever telling him the stupid joke about losing something and gaining something is the culprit behind his magical transportation.

Then he heard children voices. Two boys, most likely in the age of four were running on the beach. One chasing after another.

"…huh?" He yelped in surprise when he saw himself being chased by the other kid, which, surprisingly looked just like Roxas.

"Roxas? Or… is it Ven?" He tried to guess, but he couldn't even tell which one is who. He couldn't know whether it was Roxas or Ven.

Still, how come he didn't remember of this happening?

"Wait up, Sora!" The Roxas/Ven lookalike yelled as he chased the young brunette before him.

"You can't catch me!" Sora's younger self laughed as he ran and then bumped into a silver haired man. A tall muscular man looking at the horizon while carrying a key shaped weapon.

"Huh? That's… a keyblade?" Sora said as he watched them from afar.

The man dropped his weapon as young Sora bumped into him. The boy quickly apologized and reached out for the weapon. He examined the blade and awed with admiration before the blonde boy snatched it from him.

"Sora! You must apologize to him!" He scolded him as he returned the blade to the man.

"I'm sorry for what he did. Please forgive him." The blonde said as he handed the man his blade back. Young Sora scratched his back nervously and apologized to the man for bumping into him.

But the man only smirked. The man whispered something that Sora couldn't hear and then, darkness flowed from the man. Black gasses embracing the two boys. They both screamed in fear and tried to run away from it.

"Sora!" The blonde boy yelled as he tried to reach for the brunette. From the black fluids, came the dark creatures Sora knew well. Heartless.

"I've got to help them!" Sora said as he withdrew his keyblade and slammed it on the heartless, only to find himself transparent to everything. He couldn't touch the boy, couldn't hit the heartless with his keyblade, nor was he visible to their vision.

"What?" Sora asked in confusion as he examined his surroundings. The silver man smirked as he watched the scene.

Then something glowed on the blonde boy's hand.

It was a keyblade. Its shape was identical to his, yet the colors were different. This boy's keyblade was more golden colored on the blade and silver on the grip.

He looked a little bit surprised, but then quickly kills the heartless surrounding himself and the young Sora.

"Interesting…" The silver haired man smirked as he walked closer to the blonde who was aiding young Sora.

"Watch out!" Sora screamed as he tried to get the boy out from the man's grab, but fail as the man's hand went through his chest and grabbed the boy by his neck. The man was strong, even when the boy tried to struggle free from him, he couldn't get away from the man's strong grip.

"Let him go!" Young Sora screamed as he tried to save the other boy, who struggled desperately from the man's dead grip.

"Sora!" The blonde boy screamed as he reached out to the brunette. Young Sora tried to chase after the man, but was blocked by the shadows emerging from the dark portal the man created. The heartless jumped on him and held him down as he desperately reached out to the man.

"No!" Sora cried as he tried to chase the man. Again, he failed to rescue the blonde from being taken.

He slumped down and punched the ground in anger.

Then everything turned black. He could see the very same door that guided him here stood in front of him. He gritted his teeth and ran past the door.

Kairi was alone when she woke up. Like the others, she received a card and had walked past the door. She was in her home town. Radiant Garden.

"…Why did you bring me here…" She muttered to no one. She walked around the town and ended up on the garden where she used to pick flowers for her grandmother. She placed her hand on her necklace as she looked on the big castle far away.

"…Grandma." She muttered before suddenly a dark portal appeared behind her and revealed a hooded figure.

"Who are you?" She asked curiosly at the hooded figure. The figure didn't say anything but summoned a keyblade. A kingdom key identical to Sora's.

"A Keyblade?" She exclaimed in surprise when the hooded figure jumped and attacked her. She yelped in surprise and summoned her own in reflex. Trying to block the figure's attack. Unable to land a hit, the hooded figure jumped backwards and shot fireballs from his keyblade.

Kairi gritted her teeth as she jumped to the other side to evade the fires. She was still weak with magic, but she could at least try.

"Freeze!" She shouted as she casted blizzard on her enemy. The enemy jumped and stroke his keyblade at her. She got hit, but she managed to slip away quickly so that it didn't give her much damage.

"Heal!" She yelled as she cured herself. However, just as she finished healing, the enemy quickly approached her and swung his keyblade endlessly. All she could do was blocking his attacks and wait for a chance.

However, the hooded figure was far stronger than her. She lost her grip on her keyblade as it flew and took the brunt from the hooded figure's attack. She was thrown into a nearby wall. Her keyblade thrown far away from her.

"Ugh…who…are you?" She said as she looked at the approaching figure.

She couldn't see his face. But the figure was about the same height as her. She could assume that the figure was a teenage just like her. The figure then locked his keyblade to her chest. Ready to take her life and heart away.

"Kairi!" A boy's voice shouted from far away.

"…Sora." She muttered with a glad smile. Sora saw her injuries and immediately glared at the hooded figure. "Get away from her!" He yelled in anger as he threw his keyblade to the hooded figure.

The hooded figure blocked his strike raid move and jumped away from Kairi as Sora took his keyblade back and ran to attack him.

That was when a dark portal appeared again and a voice was heard. "That's enough, No.i. Time to RTC." The voice said as the hooded figure walked through the dark portal and disappear.

"Kairi, are you alright?" Sora asked as he aided the wounded girl. She smiled at him and coughed a bit. "I'm fine… he just got me right on the ribs." She said as she called upon her own keyblade and casted Curaga on herself.

"Who was that?" Sora asked, questioning about the hooded figure.

"I don't know. He suddenly came and attacked me." Kairi explained as she looked at where the hooded figure once was. "…But…" Kairi muttered slowly.

"But?"

"I felt like I know him. There's something… I don't know. I felt like me and him are connected." She tried to explain. But she herself didn't understand the situation. And she couldn't possibly explain something she didn't understand herself.

"…Well, let's just get out from here first." Sora said as he helped Kairi up, only to find the girl fell down again in exhaustion.

"Man, come on." Sora chuckled as he carried Kairi on his back. "Sora!" She yelped in surprise.

"Don't worry, Kairi. You're not that heavy~" He said with a cheerful tone. She pouted as she slapped him. "Stupid Sora!" She huffed as she rested on his back. It was actually quite comfortable.

'That's right, something like this happened as well… long ago, when I…' She thought as she remembered about their past.

It was when she moved to Destiny Island. She had no idea how to befriend the others. Sora was the first one to talk to her. He reached out his hand when she accidentally slipped on the shore and sprained her ankle. He even went as far as carried her home despite how tiny his shoulder is.

That tiny shoulder had become this wide.

"…Sora?" She muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." She smiled as she thanked him.

"No problem." He chuckled.

"But…where are we?" Sora asked as he looked around. This town was very weird looking. He never knew that such town existed. The town had a really nice scent coming from the flowers. A gentle wind breezed through the warm weather. This town was beautiful.

"It's Radiant Garden. My hometown." Kairi answered. "I lived here before I moved to Destiny Island." She said as then they reached the central area, where there was a really big castle up the stairs.

"Really? Wow, this place is gorgeous!" Sora exclaimed as he stared in awe at the giant castle. Kairi only chuckled.

"We should have a picnic here together sometimes. You, me, Riku, and everyone else." He chuckled.

"…I wished we could." Kairi muttered in a somewhat sad tone.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked as he noticed the change in her tone.

"…When I was a child, this City was invaded. And then… nothing is left but ruins." She told him.

Sora was surprised with that. Whenever they asked her about her hometown, she only told them that it was a beautiful place.

"… I'm sorry to hear that, Kairi." Sora muttered in apologetic look. But then she smiled. "It's okay, I mean, I've never even told you about this." She chuckled.

"Besides, I was so small and I didn't understand what happened back then. I was only told, after my city is gone." She said before she took a deep breath and then smiled at him. "But I have you now. I have you, Riku, Naminé, and everyone. I don't want to get caught in the past. After all, the past is the past, right?" She said with a smile.

'That's right, I'm alright, now. Grandma, I'll be okay.' She told herself as she hugged Sora.

"Kairi?" Sora asked as he blushed. He was never this close to her before. "Can I stay like this… for a while?" She asked as she pushed her face to Sora's back.

"S-sure." He said awkwardly as he continued to move.

"This… is my home?" Riku asked as he looked around. He was inside a cave, his, Sora, and Kairi's secret base. There are many drawings on the wall. Those were the drawings he, Sora, and Kairi doodled when they were smaller. Way back before Naminé came.

"…Right, we used to be think we're heroes of some sort." He chuckled as he stared at the childish drawings. There was one where he and Sora were heroes protecting Kairi from a giant monster.

Then he stared at the door. No one had been able to open the keyhole. That was, until he met Terra.

He was surprised by the sound of footsteps and quickly turned to see who came. He froze in shock as he saw a younger him standing firmly without looking at him.

"…What?" He asked as the younger him walked to the door with the big keyhole and examined the door.

"…No, don't do it!" Riku jumped as the kid summoned his keyblade and opened the door. The kid smiled as the door opened. However, his smile soon disappear.

"Get away from there!" Riku said as he tried to move the kid. However, he was unseen, invisible. He couldn't do anything but to watch as his younger self being consumed by the darkness that lived on the other side of the door.

And he watched with horror, remembering of the same feeling he felt two years ago.

Curiosity killed the cat.

And he was the cat.

"Pathetic." A voice commented as everything turned to black.

"Who's there?" Riku shouted with anger as he turned to find the voice's owner.

A dark portal appeared and a figure covered in dark hood appears. He couldn't see his face. However, judging from his voice, he could tell that the figure is a male.

"Fight me." The figure said as he withdrew a sword. The sword's shape was very similar to Riku's own Way to the Dawn. A dragon wing shaped sword with an eye on its base.

As soon as he said that, the figure lunged forward and attacked Riku with fast thrusts. The silverette quickly made a barrier and blocked the figure's attacks. The figure jumped backwards and made a quick slash that creates a powerful vertical uppercut shockwave that aims to Riku's direction.

This time, he dodged to the side and circled the figure as the figure kept shooting many shockwaves to his direction.

As he managed to get closer, he thrust forward and managed to deliver a great blow. He quickly continued his attacks and made a chain of powerful slashes.

The figure groaned in pain, but he quickly recovered from the damage and made a counter attack that paralyzed Riku for a while. However, in such short moments, the figure was able to launch another attack as he jumped and thrust it down to the ground, delivering a great blow by using the down force and the energy of the shockwave from his blade.

"Damn!" Riku cursed as he tried to get out from the figure's deadly blow. Only to be greeted by a series of lightning pillar. "Gaaargh!" He yelled in agony.

"Is that what you got?" The cloaked man asked, mocking him with a laugh.

Riku quickly get up and lunged forward to him. He spun and slashed him before concentrating his strength and threw the figure up. An urge from deep within his heart was telling him to use the power of darkness. Yet his heart rejected it.

As the figure fell, he made another long series of slash. He could have used the darkness and laid stronger attacks, yet he decided not to and struggled not to let the darkness overtook him. The figure received those attacks, but he only laughed at Riku's attacks.

"I'm not afraid of the darkness." The figure spoke.

"What?" Riku yelled in surprise.

"It's ironic. You said that you were not afraid of darkness… And here you are, rejecting and slowly devoured by it. What a coward." He laughed again, somewhat similar to Vanitas's laugh.

"…I'm not a coward!" Riku yelled in anger as he lunged forward and swung his keyblade to the figure, only to be tossed backwards with the dark force that engulfed the figure.

"It's nice, having darkness on my side. You were so missing out. How could you be scared of something that can be so thrilling?" The figure laughed mockingly.

"Enough!" Riku yelled again.

"Hmph, so now the coward is playing tough." He said as he prepared to attack Riku again before a dark portal showed up and a voice commanded him to return.

"…. That is enough for now." A voice commanded him. The figure looked into the portal before giving Riku one last glance.

"…So long, Real thing. Hope you don't miss me." The figure laughed as he walked to the dark portal, leaving Riku behind.

"Come back!" Riku yelled as he tried to chase after the figure.

But he was too late. The portal has disappeared soon after the figure stepped into it.

"...Damn!" He yelled as he punched the ground.

"Sora, Kairi!" Naminé yelled as she tried to wake the two up. They were no longer in Radiant Garden. Instead, they were back in the haunted house. Back in the mirror maze where they missed everyone.

"…Naminé?" Kairi said as she stirred up and tried to sit up. Naminé helped her up and hugged her. "I'm so glad… All of you suddenly disappeared. What happened?" She asked with a glad smile.

"…That's right… I was in Radiant Garden…then, a light came…" She muttered as she looked around. "Sora!" She screamed as she suddenly stood and looked for the boy.

"It's alright, Kairi, Sora was with you. See?" She said as she pointed at the boy lying on the floor next to her.

Kairi sighed gladly as she crouched down and looked at the sleeping boy's face.

"So… what really happened?" Naminé asked.

"Twilight Clock Tower…" Roxas muttered. He had crossed the door and arrived at the Twilight Clock Tower. It was his favorite place. The twilight sky looks best here. Sometimes, he'd invite Hayner and the others here to enjoy a small Sea-salt ice party.

But now's not the time for some reminiscence, he told himself. He turned and tried to exit the tower as soon a burst of laughter was heard from behind.

"Hey Roxas, Bet you don't know why the sun sets red?" A voice spoke. Roxas flinched and searched for the voice owner.

"Who's there?" He asked, but there was no reply. Instead, the voice kept talking.

"You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest." The voice continued with a chuckle. Why does this voice seems familiar?

"Like I asked, know-it-all." A monotonic voice answered. It was a child's voice. A very young voice. Why is this voice answering while the other voice asked him?

Curios, he approached the corner and then peeked cautiously.

And Roxas froze. He couldn't believe what he just saw.

There was himself, much younger, wearing a black coat with a red haired boy that looked just like Axel.

"…It…can't be." Roxas muttered as he watched how the older red haired chuckled on his younger self. Both enjoying sea-salt ice creams on their hand.

The two continued to talk while Roxas was lost in confusion. His younger self mentioned that it was his 255th day of joining the organization. But Roxas had no idea what 'Organization' his younger self was talking about. And why would he be with Axel? Why are they wearing that black coat? Why are they in Twilight Town?

And more importantly,

Where is Ven?

"What? You've been remembering each day like that?" The red haired asked as laid his back on the ground with his arms supporting his head.

"Yeah, I have." The blonde kid said as he munched his Ice cream. "I've been counting them all, remember all. After all, you told me to make memories since I don't have one."

"…Actually, Roxas…" The red haired sat up and sighed. His younger self looked at him with lifeless eyes.

"…I… Well, Mast, no. Your father has found your brother." The red haired said with a sad smile. "And, well. I don't think you'll be under my care anymore. You'll live with him and then it's a goodbye between us." He explained.

"…Goodbye?" The blonde child asked.

"Well, It means that we might never meet again." The red haired explained. The blonde kid looked down. The red haired looked away, but then forced a smile. "Come on. You get to meet your long lost brother!" The red haired patted the blonde kid's back.

The lifeless eyed stared at him. Then nodded. "Then… goodbye, Axel." The blonde kid said.

"Yeah, goodbye, partner."

Then something forced him to sleep.

He woke up seeing a very happy Naminé hugging him. Had it been the usual him, he would really blush like a mad man. But somehow, his heart felt hurt. He was hurt by the scene he didn't know true or false.

"Where… am I?" Ven asked as he looked around. He was surrounded by white flowers. Lilies, to be exact. He couldn't remember ever visiting this place before. Yet, there he saw a younger version of him and Roxas, with him wearing a white jacket and Roxas a black coat, playing on the flower bank with him making flower crown for Roxas.

He frowned as he watched the scene.

"Well, isn't that awkward?" He laughed at the memory.

Assuming that he had passed out just like usual and that he was seeing another returning memory of his, he kept watching the scene. Wondering when did this takes place. It had to be before he met Terra, back before his parent's death.

"…Maybe I can remember how my parents died?" He asked. He didn't really want to know. But a small part of him wanted to. He wanted to know the truth. He had to know. Was it that unbearable that both him and Roxas had to lost their memories at the same time?

Then before he realized, his younger self had ran off somewhere with Roxas.

"Ack! Where did they go?" Ventus exclaimed as he entered the old mansion close to the flower bank to look for them.

As he ran through the hall, he saw an old man, the bald one that he saw in one of his returning memories, standing before Roxas. Both the man and Roxas looked serious that Ven couldn't help but to eavesdrop.

_"Roxas, I need to tell you something." The man spoke. _

_"…What is it father?" Roxas asked._

_This man was their father? This bald man? _

_And then he heard the most unbelievable thing he had ever heard before he passed out again. _

_"Ven! Ven!" Roxas called as he shook Ven by his shoulder in attempt of waking him up. _

_Ventus groaned as he opened his eyes slowly. Focusing on the stray of golden locks before his eyes. _

_"…Roxas?" He called as he tried to sit up. _

_"Damn it, Ven! You made all of us worry!" Sora commented while sighing in relief. _

_"…What…?" Ventus rubbed his temple. His head was pounding. Has he returned to the haunted house?_

_"All of us, well, except Naminé were swallowed into the mirror. Or at least we thought so. Then all of us saw a glimpse of our past. After that, we returned." Sora tried to explain. _

_"You were the last one to return, Ven. We thought you'll never make it back." Aqua said as she sighed in relief. _

_"Did you meet someone else in there?" Kairi asked in curiosity. "Someone with a black coat, perhaps?" She added_

_"You met him too?" Riku asked in surprise. _

_"You mean, you too? Did he attack you?" Kairi replied. _

_"…Yeah, but he ran away in the middle." Riku stated. _

_"You guys were attacked?" Aqua asked with a worried tone. _

_"Yeah. He was really strong. But Sora came at the right time to save me." Kairi said with a smile. _

_"…Black coat…" Roxas muttered, remembering how the smaller version of himself and Axel wearing black coats. _

_"…Do you know anything, Roxas?" Ven asked with a very concerned look. Roxas flinched at his question and quickly made a lie. _

_"No, I don't." Well, isn't he getting better with lies, now?_

_"…Anyways, I think we should get out from here. I don't want to get trapped in the mirror again." Aqua said._

_"Then, what about the competition?" Sora asked._

_"What, you're still up for that?" Terra sighed. He wanted to get out from the weird place and get some rest somewhere. He didn't want to be remembered of the painful past. Then again, everyone must be experiencing the same. _

_"I think we can all stick together this time. Let's not waste time and move." Riku said as he took the lead and search for the exit. _

_"Can you move, Ven?" Roxas asked as he helped him up. Ven nodded and accepted the offer without hesitation. _

_"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Kairi screamed as a woman in white robe suddenly appear from the corner and surprised them. She quickly grabbed the person closest to her, which happened to be Sora, who screamed together with her. _

_"…Hey… there…shouldn't be anyone behind me, right?" Terra asked. "W-Why do you ask..? You're at the last of the line, Terra." Aqua said. _

_"..T-then, whose hand is…" Terra said as he turned and saw a zombie like person clinging on his back. He shouted and accidentally knocked the Zombie out with brute force. _

_"…Did you just-?" Aqua was about to ask whether Terra punched him when Terra quickly blocked her view and told her to run. _

_"W-what's with these strings!" Roxas yelled as flocks of hair came down from the ceilings. _

_"Sora! Don't pull my Jacket!" Riku yelled. _

_"But I didn't…" Sora said as then he frowned. Riku turned and saw a faceless woman pulling his Jacket. "Whoaaaa!" _

_"W-why are they screaming?" Naminé asked. _

_"I don't know, something must be waiting up ahead." Roxas answered with a gulp. Bracing himself to face the surprise waiting before them. _

_"Roxas, what is that you're stepping on?" Ven said with a frown as Roxas looked down and realized that he was stepping on a human corpse (of course, it's a doll). _

_"Gyaaaargh!"_

_"We're finally out…" Kairi sighed as they all rested on a nearby bench. _

_"I'll never want to return to this haunted house. Not one with the mirrors, at least." Sora said as he pouted. Remembering the scenes he saw as he watched the twins. What exactly was that? But if the child wielded a keyblade, it had to be Roxas. _

_But, then again, Roxas used two keyblades. Was it not one of them? _

_'…This is so confusing… I'll think about that later.' He thought as he sighed and sipped on his juice. _

_"Hoho, did you get into the mirrors, child?" An old man, dressed in a blue robe with blue hat approached them with a smile. They could barely see his mouth for it was covered with his long white beard. _

_"…Who are you, mister?" Ventus asked. _

_"Hoh, I'm Merlin, a magician of some sort. I'm here to escort someone that wants to meet you." The man said as he ruffled Ventus' hair. _

_"We meet again, boy." Another old man, this time with a top hat and a cane came with a joyful smile. _

_"…You're…!" Ventus exclaimed happily._

_"So, I heard that you and yer friends went into the mirror, eh? I'm very sorry for that. That's one magical mirror I have there. 'been a long time since I saw someone enter 'tat mirror." The old man chuckled. _

_"A magic mirror, is that why we've been seeing things?" Roxas asked. _

_"Aah, yes. It's said that very few people were able to go into the mirror. The mirror reflects a world based on your memory. Your most unwanted memories, you see. However, few people that entered the mirror had actually been grateful for seeing the memories. For they can become stronger. That is why we decided to keep it." The mage explained. _

_"So, what we saw were true?" Sora asked. _

_"Is it not?" The old man asked again. "I've never experienced them myself. I only heard from my… 'colleagues', you see." _

_"…Oh." Sora pouted. Wondering what he should say about the vision he saw. _

_"But, how did you know that we entered the mirror?" Aqua asked. _

_"Well, I've been watching over the people here with the surveillance cameras. Of course I can also know what's happening in the haunted house. I was really surprised to see 'yer again." The old man smiled to Ven, whom smiled back at him. _

_"Well, I assume that you want to enjoy the weekend. There are still many things you can enjoy here. Take your time." The old man said as he left along with the self-proclaimed mage. _

_"…Well, where shall we go next?" Naminé asked. Trying to change the topic. They all seemed to be bothered by the mirror thing and she didn't want them to be sad. After all, it's an amusement park. They should be having fun instead of being gloomy like this. _

_"Hey, how about the Ferris Wheel?" Kairi suggested. _

_"Sounds great to me. Let's go." Sora said as they all marched to the Ferris wheel. However, it appeared that they have to wait for an hour until they can get into the ride. _

_"…Hot…" Roxas commented as they waited patiently to get their turns. "I agree… something cold would be nice… ah!" Ventus exclaimed as he remembered something. _

_"I think I saw an ice cream store when I strolled with Riku. So, who wants Ice cream?" He noted as he smiled cheerfully. _

_"Ooh! Me!" Sora exclaimed wildly hearing the word 'ice'. The others followed suit while Aqua and Terra offered to go with him. _

_"Then, we'll be back in a jiffy." Ventus exclaimed as he, Terra, and Aqua went to get the ice. _

_"We're back, Master Xehanort." The red haired man said as he came out from a dark portal along with a shorter and smaller cloaked figure. _

_"Good work, No.i. You have proven your skills." The old man said as he turned to face the small cloaked figure. _

_"It's time to move unto the next step."_

_"Ven, slow down." Aqua said to the running Ven. "But Aqua, if we don't hurry, The Ice creams will be sold out." Ven pouted. _

_"I'm sure it won't happen." Terra laughed. Then he noticed the gloomy atmosphere around the ice cream shop. _

_"…Excuse me, is the shop open?" Aqua asked to one of the three children, which happened to be the store seller. The children seemed to be triplets. The only way to identify them is the shirts and the cap they are wearing. _

_"It's open, but…" The red capped said. _

_"The ice cream machine won't work." The blue capped continued. _

_"We can't sell ice creams like this." The green haired ended. _

_"…Is it broken?" Terra asked as he examined the weird looking machine. It had piano keys on the sides. Which made him wonder if this really was an ice cream machine. _

_"No, uncle scrooge found this machine from somewhere around the world." The red capped said. _

_"He entrusted us with this machine and the guide book." The blue capped continued. _

_"But we can't understand how to make this machine work." The green capped continued again. It seemed like they love to talk in this pattern. _

_"…Hey, do you think I can give it a shot?" Ventus asked. _

_The three children looked at him with questioning eyes. But then they all nodded at the same time and gave him a chance to try. _

_"Here's the directions for the machine." The red capped said as he handed him a pamphlet of how to use the machine. _

_"They're so late…" Kairi pouted as she waited in the line. It's only a few minutes until their turn. If it comes to that, Terra and the others will miss their turn. _

_"I guess it can't be helped." Sora sighed in disappointment._

_"It's our turn." Riku informed as the passenger took out from the cart. "Roxas, Naminé, you guys can get on first." He said to the blondes. _

_"Eh, but, what about you guys?" Naminé asked with a blush. If they didn't come, it'll only be just the two of them. _

_"It's fine. We'll get on the next ride. Besides, it's four person per car." He said as he pushed the pale skinned into the car along with Roxas. _

_"Next, please." The staff said after the wheel started moving. _

_"Let's go, Riku." Sora said as he turned to search for the sileverette. However, he was nowhere to be found. Instead, Riku was already out of the line, smirking to Sora. _

_"Riku?" Sora yelled to Riku. "Good luck, Sora." The boy smirked as he walked away. _

_"Wait, Riku!" Sora was about to chase after Riku when the staff informed him to enter the car quickly. He had no choice. _

_He spent the moment alone with Kairi. _

_"It's pretty." Naminé exclaimed. _

_"Yeah." Roxas answered. 'You too.' He thought awkwardly. _

_"Look, Roxas! We can see Destiny Island from here!" She said as she pointed to the ocean. Roxas approached her and looked out from the window, not noticing the fact that their faces were so close to each other. _

_"So that's Destiny Island?" Roxas asked. Naminé, noticing the distance between their face nodded with a red face. _

_"I see, it's beautiful." Roxas smiled. Then he noticed the red blush on Naminé's face before noticing how close their faces were. _

_"Oh…Sorry…" He said with a blush and looked away. _

_"…N-no, don't look away." She said, then realized how awkward she said that. _

_"H-huh?" Roxas looked back at her, who seemed to want to say something. _

_"T-the painting!" She blurted out. She hesitated a bit, and then looked at him with determination. "I..I want to see your face more, so I can finish the painting…" She muttered. _

_Painting someone is hard. You ought to know the person until you can really draw them on paper. And so she had been placing her eyes on him all the time. And she didn't realize that she had started to fall for him._

"O-oh. The painting, yeah, of course." Roxas scratched the back of his head and smiled.

They spent the few seconds until the end of the ride by watching each other's face.

"So, has Terra and the others returned yet?" Kairi asked.

"I called them earlier, and they were telling something about award or something. I can't hear them. It's too loud over there. Anyways, they told us to meet at the central area." Riku explained.

"Let's head there, then." Sora said as he looked at Roxas and Namin_é. Who looked away with a blushing face. Apparently, they didn't realize that the ride is over when the staff opened the car's door and everyone was watching them staring at each other in a manner of almost kissing. _

_"…Did something happen?" Sora asked with curiosity. And for the first time, Roxas and Naminé answered in unison. "No! Nothing at all!" They said, and then looked away again. _

_"Ha, enjoying the ride, aren't you?" Sora chuckled. _

_As they reached the central area, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus were there waiting with tall piled up ice creams on their hands. "There you are!" Kairi said with a sigh. _

_"You missed the ride. What were you guys doing?" She huffed as she received a stacked up ice cream from Aqua, whom apologized and then looked away. _

_"Well… something happens…" Terra commented as he handed the ice creams to Riku and Sora while Ventus handed his to Roxas and Namine. _

"There you are, come you three!" Three children with identical faces came and dragged the three of them away.

"Hey, where are you going? The show is about to start!" Sora asked.

"Uh… well, you'll see…" Ventus said before they all disappeared in the crowds.

"…What does he mean?" Sora muttered as he examined his ice cream. "And how did they get this…tall stacked ice cream?" He said as then they all watched the show.

There were dancers, bands, a quick musical drama, and then…

"And now is to begin the main event! The million dreams award presentation!" The MC exclaimed.

"Million dreams award?" Kairi asked Riku, who looked at the map, trying to look for information.

"It seemed that there's an event today. Apparently, they'll be picking random people that looked out for strangers. You can vote for "

"Oooh, and it seems that we have multiple winners this year!" Then there were the crowds.

"This year's million dreams award goes too…."

There were silence as the drum rolls. The MC waited a few moments until she shouted their names. "Terra, Ventus, and Aqua!" The MC shouted, followed with the cheers from the crowds.

And Roxas dropped his ice cream.

"Roxas! Your Ice cream!" Namin_é exclaimed as Roxas stared with unbelieving eyes to his twin on the stage. _

_"Congratulations, winner, a few words, please?" The MC said as she offered the mike to Terra. _

_"…W-well, we didn't know that we would get this award. Who could have guessed that there were set-ups?" Terra scratched his cheek as the three of them were awarded a gold medal with a star engraved on it. _

_"This must be a joke, right?" Roxas commented as they all watched the crowds gave applause to the three. _

_"…I can't believe it, Ven. You made me drop my Ice cream." Roxas sighed as he readied to sleep. Today had been such a blast. He was really tired. He pitied Terra and Aqua who had to go to school tonight and watch over the Heartless._

_"Hey, that was your own fault. Besides, I don't know that either. I was only playing a beat on the ice cream machine (and that was such a weird machine, too)" He said as he yawned and curled himself under the blanket. _

_"So that's why you guys were so late." _

_"It's not just that, when I was fixing the ice cream machine, Aqua went out to chase after a thief in disguise. Then, as we returned, Terra saw someone trying to sabotage the race and went to chase after him. Of course that someone is a staff in disguise. It was after that, that we're told that we won the million dreams award." Ventus chuckled as he remembered how confused they were. _

_"Well, how's your date? Did you manage to get in together with Naminé?" He said as he made a teasing grin. _

_Roxas blushed madly and then turned away. _

_"W-well…" He tried to explain. But Ventus's teasing face made him didn't want to tell. _

_"Ahah, I see." Ventus chuckled. "Well, night then, Roxas…" _

_"Night…" Roxas replied, then quickly fell to slumber. _

_Ventus watched Roxas' back for a moment before slowly drifting to sleep. _

_'…Even if what I saw is true, You're my brother. And that is no lies, Roxas.' He thought before falling into deep sleep again. _

_In case you're wondering how they line up in the last part of the Haunted House, Here's the order: _

_Riku – Sora – Kairi – Namine – Roxas – Ventus – Aqua – Terra _


	16. Chapter 16

Um.. hello? I'm sorry. duh. D= I know I have neglected my stories for a really long time. To those who are waiting for my stories, thank you so much. I hope I didn't put your hopes down. But anyways, enjoy the new chapter :D

Disclaimer : I don't own Kingdom hearts

"Hey, have you heard?" A male student said to his friend. "What?" The other replied.

"They said we're getting a transfer student!" The male student said with a grin. "And I heard it's a girl." He added.

"Oh, is she pretty?" His friend asked back.

"Who knows, we can wait. They said she's going to be in this class."

"…A transfer student, huh? I wonder what she's like…" Sora said as he eavesdropped on their conversation. Not that he wanted to eavesdrop. It's just that they were loud enough to be heard by almost everyone.

"Who knows…" Roxas muttered. '…But a transfer student at this time of year? I wonder what happened.' He thought.

Then as they waited, the teacher finally came with a black haired girl tailing him from behind. The girl showed no emotion, rather, she looked at everyone coldly. As if she didn't possess a soul.

"Well, everyone. Her name is Xion and she will be joining this class for this year. Be good to her." Vexen said. The girl stepped forward and introduced herself.

"I'm Xion. Nice to meet you all." She said as she waited for Vexen to place her somewhere in the class, which happened to be next to Roxas.

"I'm Roxas. Nice to meet you." He said as he offered a hand. The girl examined him, and then nodded. The same thing happened as Sora introduced himself to her.

'I wonder if she's just not used to her surroundings…' He thought as the class continued.

"New student?" Naminé asked when walked together to the art room.

"Yeah, a quiet one, too." Roxas commented.

"I wonder what she's like…" Naminé smiled. Then she noticed a dark haired girl watching them from afar. She was with Axel and a blue-haired boy.

"Oh…Xion." Roxas called, then stared at the red haired, who smirked at him. 'Axel.' He reminded himself of his senior's name. He'd want to ask Axel about the thing he saw back in the haunted house. However, he promised Ven not to get near them. Did Ven know something? He ought to know.

The girl looked at him and just stared with lifeless eyes. Naminé approached her slightly and offered a hand.

"Hello, Xion. I'm Naminé." Naminé said, introducing herself to her with warm smile.

The girl nodded and shook her hand. "Naminé." The black haired repeated. Naminé tilted her head to the side, wondering if the girl is alright. She didn't look very… lively.

"Roxas, long time not see." The red-haired said with a chuckle. Roxas flinched from his thought and replied awkwardly. "Y-yeah. Long time not see, Axel." He muttered with a slightly trembling smile.

"Been a long time, eh? How many days has it been since I first saw you? You're just a helpless junior back then. And Xion here is just as helpless as you." He said as he patted the young girl's head.

"We don't have much time, Axel." The blue haired told him as he walked away.

"Geez, lighten up a bit, will ya?" The red haired groaned. "Well, I'll be giving Xion here a little 'tour de campus'. We'll meet again later, got it memorized?" He said before leaving along with Xion.

"What a weird man." Naminé commented as she waved goodbye to Xion. "Well, I guess that's just what he is." Roxas added as they headed to the art room.

The words echoed in his head. What's seen cannot be unseen. He told himself endlessly that everything will be alright. However, he could no longer look at things as they are.

"…What can I do? What should I do?" Ventus muttered to himself quietly in the library.

"Is something wrong, Ven?" Aqua asked.

"Aqua!" Ventus exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, are you going to tell me what's troubling you?" She smiled as she took a seat next to him.

Ventus hesitated in answering her question. Wondering whether he should tell her or not. He didn't want to trouble his best friend. But he couldn't bear this alone.

"Aqua, I…" He muttered. She waited for him patiently with a smile.

"Roxas is my brother." He stated, unsure where to start. "That's true." She replied.

"We don't remember what happened before the accident. Roxas told me that the only thing he remembered is that there was fire. Ever since then, he became the only family to me and I became the only one for him. But…" He took a deep breath and then exhaled before continuing.

"Lately, I… I had a bad feeling about him… Like, something is going to happen to him, and I can't stop it." He said with a very worried look.

"Ven…" Aqua muttered. She then patted his head and smiled. "You're worrying too much. Nothing is going to happen." She ensured him with a smile.

He looked at her and then looked down. "But… I don't know how to make this bad feeling go away… It… scares me." He said with a blush. He didn't want to sound childish, yet it happened and he couldn't prevent that.

"All you have to do is to believe in him, Ven." She told him.

And the words struck him like magic. He smiled back at her. "…You're right, Aqua." He chuckled.

"I'm stupid aren't I? I'm worrying about him while I made people worry about me." He sighed, but Aqua just smiled and patted his head.

"Yeah, you both are." She told him. And he looked at her with a rather surprised look before he burst into small laughter.

"Heheh, It can't be helped. For we are twins." He chuckled, then smiled.

"Right?" She smiled along with him.

"Well, we should get going. The bell will ring anytime soon." He told her as they stood and exited the library.

"Aqua!" He called before they parted to their class. She looked back and found him smiling at her. "Thanks!" He said before he waved at her and ran to his class. She smiled as she watched the small boy ran.

'Roxas, I won't let you fall into darkness…'

"A struggle match, huh?" Roxas muttered as he examined the pamphlet Hayner gave him. The other blonde grinned at him and waited for Roxas's answer.

"Okay, I'm in." Roxas said with a grin.

"Great. See you at the match, then, Roxas. We can make it to the finals, I'm sure." The boy said before running away somewhere with his struggle bat, probably to train.

"I wonder if Naminé will come to cheer me…" He muttered to himself while imagining the said girl carrying lunch for him and cheered for him in the match. Perhaps, he should start training too. The match is next week and he'd better beat as many heartless as he could tonight.

Man, he's getting really fired for this.

He was so thrilled that he forgot that he was waiting for his twin, who had been standing next to him, watching Roxas with a frown.

"Gah, Ven! Stop scaring me out like that!" He pouted. Ventus gave him a light chuckle before teasing Roxas again. It used to be the other way around, didn't it?

"Thinking of your dearest Naminé again, weren't you?" He teased. Well, that one was easy to read. It was pretty obvious with the red blush on Roxas's face. No one could bring that expression out from him but Naminé.

"Don't tease me." Roxas said with a scowl.

"Yeah, right…" Ven said as he left Roxas behind. After a few walks, the older of the two stopped and asked. "Roxas, we're brothers, right?" He didn't turn. He just showed his back to him. The twilight sun shone and painted the world with its sorrowful colour. Roxas was standing behind his shadow. As if captured, he just stayed there and watched the painful back Ventus showed him.

"Of course." Roxas answered without hesitation. "Why do you ask?" Roxas asked back. His twin then gave him a chuckle as he turned and waited for Roxas to catch up with him.

"Nah… It's just that… I can't imagine my life without you." He told him with a sad smile.

"…Could it be… are you… feeling lonely?" Roxas asked. Sure that he had been obsessed with Naminé that he neglected Ven. But, he would never thought that his twin would be lonely like this.

"No, not that. I just… had a bad dream." Ventus sighed.

"Again? Ven, I told you not to think too much about it…" Then he realized what worried Ventus. "…Hey, was it, from the mirror thing?" He asked.

'What did Ven saw? Could it be? Did he saw the accident? Is that why he was scared?' Roxas thought. He'd think of other various possibilities that could make Ventus worried about him. But the only thing came to his mind was about their parent's death.

'…Then again, it was Ventus that was hurt at that time. And I've seen nothing returning to me, instead it was Axel…' Roxas thought with a frown.

Ven just stood there in silence. Wondering whether to tell Roxas or not. In the end, he gave him a slight nod.

"…What did you see?" He asked curiosly. He wanted to help his twin. He'd always thought nothing much for it was only a dream. But now, what he saw might be a fact. 'Why didn't I think of this more…' He thought to himself. His twin was having such trouble and he didn't even realize it… some twin…

"…I…" He started to speak, but he was too afraid to. He didn't want to tell Roxas. He was afraid that it would change them forever. He wanted everything to stay like this. Just how the way they're supposed to be.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't remember." He lied. That one was too much. He had to keep this to himself, and lock it away within the abyss of his heart.

"…Weird, right? I'm worried of something I couldn't even remember." Ventus chuckled and then started to walk away.

Noticing something wrong, Roxas ran to chase his brother and blocked his way. He stared at Ventus, whom stared back with a confused face. Ven was about to give a protest when Roxas cut him.

"Is that true?" He asked.

"…Of course, why would I be lying? Now, you're blocking my way, Roxas." He said as he tried to go away from the side, only to be blocked by Roxas again.

"…Don't run from me, Ven." He told him.

"I told you, nothing is wrong, nothing happened and nothing will, okay? Now, let me go." He said as he pushed Roxas out of the way and walked away.

Roxas then pulled his hand and face his twin once again. This time, with an angry face.

"Were you keeping something from me?" He asked.

"I don't, okay? Why are you being so persistent, Roxas?" Ventus said as he tried to let go of Roxas's hand, which gripped his arm tightly.

"It's because you keep running away from me! Ven, I'm your brother! Brothers don't keep secrets!" He said, raising his voice a bit.

"I told you, I'm not keeping anything! Let me go, Roxas!" He said, struggling to get his hands out of Roxas's grip.

"Then, what about you and Axel? Why are you so scared about him? You've never told me about that!" He yelled.

"…T-that's…" Ventus looked away, no longer trying to struggle free from Roxas. He knew that he couldn't answer that. And that would mean that he admitted to Roxas that he hid something from him.

"Ventus, answer me!" Roxas yelled. This time, he grabbed Ven by the shoulder and shook him a bit in an angry manner. His twin covered his face with his bangs, then suddenly looked up to him with an annoyed face while gritting his teeth.

"What about you?" Ventus yelled back.

For a moment, they stared in silence.

Ventus's words pierced him right into his heart. Returning the guilt that once was in his heart.

"…What about you, Roxas? What have you been hiding? What have you guys been hiding from me?" He asked with trembling lips. Roxas was unsure why Ventus was trembling, he took less attention to that and focused in his questions instead. Roxas couldn't answer those. He just stared as his twin's angry face. Ventus had never gone this mad. Correction, Ventus was never mad at him.

"Ven…" He muttered.

"…I know that you guys have been keeping something from me. I realized that sometime ago." Ventus said. Roxas just stared at him. The hands gripping Ven's shoulder lost their energy and fell slowly.

"Ven…" He called. Ventus was seriously mad at him. He couldn't undo the things already done.

"So, are you going to tell me or not?" He asked. Waiting for Roxas to answer.

"…I… Ven, I can't…" He gulped. He knew it's useless to lie, now. Ventus could see everything, and probably, he'd know what he was keeping from him.

"Then, I can't tell you what I kept hidden as well." He said before walking away.

Roxas watched his twin's back until he disappeared down the hill. He crouched down and slammed his fist to the ground.

"Damn it!" He cursed.

How did it happen this way?

"Eeeh? Ven knew?" was Sora's reaction at the next day when he confessed what happened yesterday to him, and Kairi, who happened to be with him at the time. They were in his classroom.

"I don't think he knew what we were hiding from him, but he definitely knew we were keeping something off him." He said with a sigh. Last night had been a torture. It was the silent treatment, Ventus wouldn't talk to him. Not even a word.

"But he never asked us about it." Kairi pointed out. "So, how come he's mad at you now?" She asked.

"…Well, I kinda… get angry when he keep something from me. And he… kind of snapped at me." Roxas said with another sigh. Damn it, he wanted to make up with Ven, but he didn't know what to do.

"…Well, the master told me that we have to keep it from Ven, no matter what." Sora sighed. He knew that this is going to happen. Yet it seemed like the master won't tell Ven no matter what.

"…I guess... but then, how do I make up with Ven?" He asked. They never had a fight before. Ven always loved him dearly, he forgived everything he had done without an argument.

"Uh, how do you usually make up?" Sora asked back.

"…We never argued…" Roxas replied. Yeah, looking back, Ven always spoiled him.

"No way! Not even once?" Kairi exclaimed with a surprise. Roxas shook his head and then sighed again, feeling so helpless.

"What do brothers usually do when they fight?" Roxas muttered. It's not like Ventus is showing his anger, but the silent treatment he received from him is deadly painful. He didn't want this to continue any longer. He want to make up, and fast.

"Have you talked to him?" Kairi asked, in which Roxas nodded with a sad pout. "I apologized to him yesterday. But then he told me that he's not mad and I shouldn't apologize.

They then spent the whole first break thinking of a way for Ven to forgive Roxas. Yet, none came up with a plan. In the end, Roxas had to endure the silent treatment longer.

"What's wrong with Roxas? He looks terrible…" Aqua commented on their night job together.

Roxas just stayed in the courner, mourning over his life and looked very depressed.

"…Well, I think it's because he had a fight with Ven." Kairi answered as then she told the whole story to Aqua.

"…That's very rare of Ventus to get angry…" Aqua commented and Kairi just sighed. So, even Aqua didn't know what to do to help Roxas, huh? She thought.

"But… I don't think Ven is the type to not forgive people…" Aqua muttered. "Yeah, I think so, too. He might forgive Roxas soon... hopefully." She said as she looked at the gloomy Roxas. She then turned to check on her cousin, who seemed to be trying to do something.

"Naminé, is something wrong?" Kairi asked. The blonde girl turned to her and smiled with a blush.

"No, nothing is wrong… It's just that, I want to call back the feeling I had when the mysterious force helped us back then." She muttered.

"Mysterious force?" Kairi asked. Wondering what her cousin was talking about.

"Oh, it's the light pillar. I think I can call it again… but I'm not sure…" She muttered. For some reason, she had the feeling that she could control it. As if that thing was there for her to use. Yet she couldn't explain that. She just 'felt' it.

"...Huh?" Naminé exclaimed. She felt something, but different than the feeling of Heartless or Nobodies. This… this feeling is…

"Master Eraqus!" The blonde girl exclaimed to the old man. Upon hearing her voice, Roxas stood up and put his attention to her. Wondering what is it that she wanted to tell.

"There's… someone with the potential here." She told him. All of their eyes fell upon her. Wondering who this new someone is.

"Then let us greet him!" Kairi said with excitement, already excited to see the new person.

"…Oh!" Naminé suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked with concern. Naminé closed her eyes and focused on the new vibe she felt. Once she detected what it is, she quickly hurried all of them to go to where that someone with potential is, for Nobodies are getting close.

"That person is at the second hall. We should quick!" She said as she led them to the said location is.

And as they reached the location, there was Xion, holding her keyblade with the nobodies already defeated.

"…Xion!" Both Naminé and Roxas shouted in unison. The girl turned and saw the group. Her eyes still lifeless as ever. "…Roxas." She muttered slowly.

"Are you okay? Were you hurt?" He asked. The girl shook her head. "Thank goodness. You're amazing, Xion, you beat all of the nobodies." He said, praising her. At which she blushed a bit and looked away.

"You guys knew each other?" Kairi asked. Wondering how did Naminé know this girl but she didn't. Upon closer inspection, Xion resembled her a bit. She used to have that hairstyle as well. If not because of their hair, she could easily be mistaken as twins with her.

"Well, Xion is the new transfer student. She just transferred today." Roxas answered.

"…Xion, right? I'm Kairi! Nice to meet you!" The maroon haired said as she offered a hand. Xion nodded and took her hand as she introduced herself. "Nice to meet you. I'm Xion." She said with a somewhat monotonic voice.

"Oh, and this is Aqua." Kairi said as she introduced her senior. The blue haired examined the girl carefully before introducing herself and welcomed her.

"…Hi, I'm Aqua. Xion, when did you learn to use Keyblade?" She asked. There was something about Xion that doesn't feel right.

The black haired looked at her with a confused face. She was about to say something when Kairi interrupted.

"Aqua, what are you saying? Of course she learned about it just now. But, really, Xion you're amazing. The first time I learned how to use Keyblade, I can barely beat a Heartless." Kairi said with a chuckle.

"…Well, Kairi, I think we should bring Xion to the master first. Xion must be confused with everything." Roxas said. All of them agreed as they took Xion to visit Eraqus, who welcomed her and then explained the whole thing to her.

"Then, starting today, you're part of the team, Xion!" Kairi smiled as she welcomed the black haired. Xion stared at her and nodded quietly. Accepting everything that was told to her.

"I think there won't be anymore enemies coming today. We can tell everyone tomorrow. I'm sure Xion is tired as well." Naminé said as she smiled to the black haired.

"Are you living in the dorm, Xion?" Kairi asked.

"…Yeah." Xion said with another nod.

"Then let us go together!" Kairi asked as she took her hand and dragged her out of the secret base.

"Wait, Xion!" Aqua called suddenly.

Both the black haired and Kairi turned to face her. "Huh, what's the matter, Aqua?" Kairi asked. Aqua stared at Xion's blank eyes carefully. For some reason, she can't trust her completely yet. Xion's existence just screamed 'suspicious' to her.

"…What were you doing so late at night?" Aqua asked. The black haired stared at her for a while before answering. "I left my textbook." She said. They stared at each other for another moment until Aqua smiled and let her go. "Well, rest well. It'll be tough from today onwards." She said.

And with that, the three girls disappeared to their room.

"…Are you doubting Xion, Aqua?" Eraqus asked.

"No! It's not that I doubted her… I just… felt something wrong from her. But I can't quite tell what is…" She told him. Roxas listened to their conversation while wondering what is it that Aqua saw from Xion that made her worry.

"…Well, we'll just have to watch over her for now." Eraqus said before dismissing the two.

"Mission complete, No.i!" The red haired man said to his small companion with a black coat. The red haired chuckled and patted the smaller hooded figure's head while another man, the blue haired stared at them.

"It's not complete, Axel." The blue haired sighed.

"Well? She got her first day done well. Praise her a bit." The red haired groaned.

"We don't need to praise a doll. After all, she is made to do her job." The blue haired said before exiting the room through the dark portal.

"Humph, cold-hearted. Well, good work. I'll see you again tomorrow, No.i." The red haired chuckled before opening a dark portal as well.

"Whoops, better got it memorized, huh?" He said as he turned to face her once again.

"Xion." He said before disappearing.


	17. Chapter 17

Merry Christmas everyone. I probably won't be able to update due to holiday. But I promise I will update once I get home from vacation. Happy holidays =D

Disclaimer : I don't own Kingdom hearts

Chapter 17: Ultima Weapon

It's decided the day after that Xion will join the night job on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. They need every help they can gather, and the more the people they have, the quicker the job can be done.

That made Sora wonder when everything will end and what will become of them. The night team was formed to defeat the Heartless, and Nobodies. Now, there's Vanitas and his unversed, and the men in hoods. Something will happen soon. He just had the feeling of it. Yet, there's nothing they could do but to routinely keep the Heartless underwatch until Riku or Aqua could make a new breakthrough.

However, they have Xion now. With her help, they can fear nothing.

Xion was more than a capable battler than Sora thought. She's a quick learner, and she was less confused than him when he first learned about the Keyblade and Heartless. Unlike him, she accepted everything so casually. As if she was born for that. She showed no interest, yet no discomfort towards everything. She just followed everything told to her.

Although, it would be nice if she showed more emotions.

"So, Xion, why did you transfer here?" Sora asked curiously. They beat plenty of Heartless and Nobodies today.

"I was told to." She answered.

"Told to?" He asked again. She nodded this time and then answered with another monotone voice.

"Un… by my guardians." She replied.

Sora couldn't quite get what she meant. However, he decided not to dig deeper into her problems and changed the subject.

"Well, how did you feel?" He asked with a grin, almost the same way as how he asked Roxas back then.

"…?" Xion tilted her head to the side, wondering about Sora's question. The brunette grinned and then asked her again about her feelings within the place with the stained glass place.

"…What are you talking about?" She asked back.

"…Huh? You don't see that place with the stained glass? There's a picture of you on the glass." He told her, but she insisted that she saw no such place.

"That's weird, everyone saw the same. How come you're different?" Sora frowned.

"Then, how did you learn to use the keyblade?" He asked.

"…I just know." She answered. Sora was disattisfied with the answer, but he couldn't help it. He had learned that Xion was quite a character. To be honest, she was the first person he could hardly mingle with. He couldn't tell what she was thinking. Not that he could tell what Riku or Roxas are thinking, but…

He felt her very different from anyone.

"…umm, so what do you like to do when you have free time?" Sora asked. Trying to change the subject again.

"…Nothing." She told him.

He could saw his inner self crying already. Why was it so hard to make a conversation with this girl? Heck, Naminé was a better talker than her even when she's shy.

"I don't think the Heartless and Nobodies will come again." Naminé said with a smile.

"Good, then let's get home!" Sora exclaimed happily. He couldn't last a second longer in a conversation with Xion. This girl is just… difficult.

"…There are more Nobodies than usual." Terra commented as they all walked together to their dormitories.

"…There might be victims we're not aware." Roxas stated. Xion looked at them with confused eyes.

"Still, it's strange to have many nobodies gathering… The Heartless may come from the door. But Nobodies, they aren't even supposed to exist without the Heartless, right?" Terra shrugged.

"Why are you…saying that?" Xion asked. Then, they all turned their attention to her. It's rare for her to say something.

"Nobodies… are stronger than Heartless. They're… perfect creature." She said.

"…Huh?" All of them then looked at each other, trying to figure out what she meant.

"Well… I guess they are stronger than the Heartless. They did a better job dodging our attacks like that." Roxas said as he patted Xion's head and parted. And somehow, Xion smiled slightly at that.

"…un." She muttered with a nod, then waved goodbye to the team.

And the next day, she changed completely.

"Good morning, Sora, Roxas." Xion stated with a smile. Both of them looked at her with surprise. She hardly showed her emotions, yet today she smiled so casually at them. As if it was the right thing to do.

"Morning, Xion!" Sora replied with excitement. Will this mean that he won't have to suffer like tomorrow? Well, at any rate, this is good news.

Xion changed, but maybe, that's a sign of her getting used to this school. She started to smile a lot, joke around just like Sora. However, along with that, the nobodies are also increasing in numbers.

They had a hard time beating the nobodies at day where class is starting. They had to make excuses for disappearing suddenly from class. All the fights at daytime tired them. It consumed their energy that they barely could last through very little sleep.

And three days afterwards, Ventus fell unconscious again.

"…Why?" Roxas asked to his unconscious brother at the infirmary. According to what Hayner and Zack told him, Ventus seemed to be feeling unwell past these days and would occasionally fell out of nothing. He told them that he was fine or he just tripped.

But today, he passed out.

"…He didn't tell me anything about that…" Roxas muttered as then he remembered about their fight. Roxas was well aware that Ventus won't talk to him, but was he that useless enough that Ventus had to keep his problem to himself? He is his brother, his twin. He should be the person closest to him. But then, why?

"Sorry, Roxas… He…told us to keep it from you." Hayner muttered with guilt. But Roxas put little attention to that.

"…Why aren't you telling me anything, damn it!" Roxas muttered as he clamped his hands tightly around his twin's hand.

"Over here, Xion!" Kairi shouted as she pin pointed the location of the Heartless. The black haired nodded and aimed her Sign of Innocence keyblade to the Neoshadows crawled under the basket ring.

"Firaga!" She cried out as she shot fireballs from her keyblade that burnt the Neoshadows before Kairi finished them by a quick slash with her keyblade.

"That's everything here." She said with a huff and then smiled at the short haired. "Good work, Xion!" She chuckled.

"…un." The black haired nodded.

Meanwhile, Sora and Aqua were beating countless of dusk nobodies that kept dodging their attacks.

"...You're not getting away from me!" Aqua said as she activated her Ghost drive command and quickly destroyed the nobodies. Only to be greeted with another bunch of nobodies.

"…More?" She yelled in surprise.

"Aqua, behind you!" Sora shouted as he quickly ran to get Aqua out of the attack from the sudden appearance of a samurai nobody. As he quickly parred with the nobody and destroyed it, five more appeared to surround them.

"There's no end to this…" Sora muttered as he panted.

It's strange. Why are there so many nobodies around?

"…I have a bad feeling about this." Aqua muttered as she stood to Sora back-to back. "…What do you mean, Aqua?" Sora asked.

"…We have to finish this quickly and get to the others." She told him as they jumped and took down the nobodies.

"I'm back, Naminé!" Kairi exclaimed to her cousin with a smile.

"Welcome back. More Nobodies appeared, but Sora and Aqua are taking care of it." She told them as then she sensed no more presence of the nobodies.

"Oh, it seems like they've finished." She told them with a smile.

"Then, it's our quota of the day?" Kairi asked.

"Let us wait for a while…" Naminé replied as then she closed her eyes, heightening her senses to look for Nobodies or Heartless.

Unaware to all of them, Vanitas has appeared along with his own Unversed minions ready to jump on the girls.

However, Eraqus was there this time and he won't just sit down seeing his apprentices being assaulted.

"Master!" Both Kairi and Naminé shouted in surprise. Kairi quickly drew her keyblade and had Naminé protected behind her. Xion, however just stared at Vanitas with her keyblade on her hand.

"Vanitas… Were you sent by someone here?" The old man asked with his keyblade ready to threaten the boy.

"Oh? And what makes you think I'm sent by someone?" He chuckled. Along with that, more unversed appeared from his back and surrounded the whole place.

"You reeked of darkness… just like 'him'." The master said with an angered face as he activated chains of light that destroyed every single Unversed around.

"Darkness… Wasn't it just you that are too obsessed with light?" He laughed as then he drew his keyblade out.

"Silence!" Eraqus shouted with anger as he ran to the boy and clashed their keyblade. He managed to par with the younger; however, age was eating his body. Vanitas was way faster than him.

The Ravenette quickly moved and stroke his back with the keyblade, knocking Eraqus out cold.

"Master!" Both Kairi and Naminé shouted. Vanitas smirked at them as he aimed his keyblade to the two girls and shot dark fireballs from his keyblade. Without hesitation, Xion jumped before them and blocked it with her keyblade.

She made no word, but she gripped her keyblade and ran to par with the boy.

"Xion!" Kairi yelled as she watched the black haired clashed her keyblade with the boy.

But again, Xion was easily overpowered by Vanitas before Kairi could even support her with her healing magic.

"Naminé, run!" Kairi told her cousin. Naminé looked very worried. She couldn't just leave her everyone there and run. There ought to be something that she could do. Something like back then.

"Naminé!" Kairi yelled at her. But the blonde just won't budge that Kairi had no choice but to push her out of the way when Vanitas shot another dark cannonball to them, at which Kairi took the brunt using her body as a shield.

"Kairi!" Naminé shouted as she watched her cousin being strangled by the dark haired.

"…Oh? What did I just found?" Vanitas smirked with amusement. Naminé was about to rush to her side when a horde of Unversed pinned her down the way they did to Sora and Roxas.

"I'll deal with you later." Vanitas said as he turned his attention to the girl he held on the neck. He could feel it from her. A pure light. Just what he needed.

"Ha, I don't even need to wait for Ventus to ripe." He laughed. Kairi struggled to get herself free from the boy's grip. She had to get out from his grip and save Naminé.

'…Sora!' She screamed through her heart.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted as he and Aqua rushed to the secret place. Just like what Aqua said, something bad really happened. Without hesitation, Sora rushed and whammedVanitas away from Kairi.

"Kairi, are you alright?" Sora yelled. The maroon haired coughed a bit, but nodded weakly.

On the other hand, Aqua quickly destroyed the Unversed pinning Naminé down and helped her up before rushing to aid the Master and Xion.

"Vanitas! You won't get away with this!" Sora yelled with anger.

"Don't make me laugh…" He said with an evil grin as he aimed his keyblade to Sora and shot dark fireballs again.

Sora slashed the dark cannons and made his way to the black haired. Vanitas quickly blocked Sora's attack and threw him away.

Sora managed to recover while in mid air and quickly jumped back at him. Their keyblade clashed and struggled against each other. The brunette glared as he tried to push the keyblade as strong as he could. But Vanitas didn't even show any fight.

"…Don't look at me with that face." Vanitas muttered as he gritted his teeth and again, threw Sora away. This time, anger was shown on Vanitas's face.

The angered ravenette slashed his keyblade and moved quickly that he even left a lens flare. Sora didn't have the time to dodge that he ended up beaten by the dark haired's keyblade. He lost his balance and fell to the ground, defeated.

"You…" Sora's voice cracked as he struggled to stand, only to have Vanitas kicked his head to the ground.

"What? Are you playing tough?" Vanitas cracked up another laugh.

"I should be the one… saying that!" Sora yelled as he rose in anger and threw Vanitas away.

"…You think you still can win?" Vanitas grinned. Sora just glared at his face. The fact that Vanitas's face looked identical to him boiled his stomach. It's like fighting himself. He didn't want to look at his face. It's sickening.

"Haaaaa!" Sora screamed as he gripped his keyblade hard and ran to Vanitas again.

The ravenette charged his shotlock and shot his dark canon. Sora couldn't stop himself and ended up charging to the dark energy shot to his way.

"Sora!" Kairi screamed as she stood and ran to his side. The boy was blasted away to the wall with his clothes half burnt. Kairi drew her keyblade and casted curaga on him. But the damage was too much that even Curaga could heal only so little.

"…Sora! Get a hold of yourself!" Kairi panicked as she rushed to aid him with the potions she made.

Unberknownts to her that Vanitas was already close to her side. Ready to stroke his keyblade to her and stole her heart.

The very few seconds until Vanitas' attack reached her felt really slow. Sora didn't know what he was doing. All he could feel was just that he didn't want Kairi to get hurt.

"Kairi!" He shouted as he pulled her down and summoned his keyblade again. Only this time, his keyblade was no longer the usual Kingdom Key he carried. The shape changed completely. It was the keyblade of light. The ultima weapon.

"What?" Vanitas yelped in surprise as the keyblade stroke him. The unbearing light damaged him greatly.

"Heh… Consider yourself a winner this time…" The black haired muttered before he disappeared into the portal of darkness again.

And with that, Sora lost his conscience.

"Are you okay, Sora?" Kairi asked with very worried face. They were on their way together to school the next morning. The brunette walked lazily and yawned loudly before smiling to her. "Yeah, thanks to you, I'm feeling great. I'm just" then he yawned again. "…a little tired." He told her.

Kairi smiled, but then the smile quickly disappeared from her face. "I'm sorry…" Kairi muttered.

"What for?"

"For being so useless, yesterday." She said with a weak voice.

"Heeey, it's not your fault, Kairi! Besides, you helped me, see? There's not even a scratch!" Sora chuckled as he showed her his big smile.

She smiled a bit at that.

"…I'll be stronger." She muttered.

"Hn? Did you say something, Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Eh? No, nothing!" She said.

"Don't get too worried about that, Kairi. I'll protect you. So don't be afraid." He told her as he turned his back and walked ahead.

She blushed as then she hugged him from behind. Then Sora blushed like a tomato.

"K-kairi?" Sora asked. He couldn't hug her back. He just stood there like a frozened statue while wondering what kind of face Kairi is making right now.

The red haired didn't say a word and just stayed like that for a while longer.

'I'll get stronger. So you won't have to save me all the time.' She vowed to herself before she released him and blushed a bit.

Sora turned to face her, whom looked at him with a blush, and then walked ahead.

"Let's go, we can't be late!" Kairi yelled as she ran ahead of him.

"Kairi? Wait up!" Sora yelled in response to chase after her.

"What was that?" Sora asked with a blush.

"Nothing." Kairi answered as she looked away with a pout.

"Kairiii" Sora begged for an explanation before he saw her noticing something up front.

"Is that… Roxas? Or Ven?" Kairi asked as she examined the blonde haired boy walking far ahead of them. It's still hard telling which one is who. Especially when they are not speaking. It's pretty easy telling them by how they responded to things. But in this situation, it's hard to tell.

However, Sora could differentiate them directly. "It's Roxas." Sora exclaimed.

"Huh? How can you tell?" Kairi asked.

"Ummm, I don't know. I just can. Well, I might be wrong." Sora chuckled as then he decided to try it out by calling the blonde by his name.

The blonde turned and waved at them. He then waited for them to catch up.

"Good morning, Roxas. Are you alone? Where's Ven?" Kairi asked.

"Well… Ven didn't want to walk with me." He said with a sad smile.

"You guys still at it?" Sora exclaimed in surprise. He'd thought that Ventus would have loosened up and forgave Roxas already.

"Actually, I think it's coming worse… After he woke up, he apologized to me and then won't talk to me at all. He won't even tell me what's making him faint…" Roxas muttered.

"…But… why would Ven do that?" Sora asked.

"Perhaps… he just didn't want you to worry about him." Kairi said.

"…But! Kairi, I'm his brother. Yet he won't talk to me. I'm… completely distrusted." Roxas sighed. Defeated. He felt really useless.

The pair looked at the blond with concerned face. They ought to do something. They can't let this sibling fight continues. They will only hurt each other at this rate.

And so, the plan to get the twins make up with each other began.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N : Well, I FINALLY updated again. Q_Q I know I've been dragging this story. But this story should end soon… unless I have a really turnabout events.

Again, Reviews helps the story even better. :D

Please do review if you read. I want to know how you think about this story CX

And thanks for reading.

Chapter 18 : We're Brothers Alright

'Aaagh, I'm terrible… how could I do such thing to Roxas…' Ven thought as he slumped himself in the library. He regretted everything. He knew that Roxas is really hurt with this. But he couldn't bring himself to make up with Roxas.

'…But I can't tell Roxas _that_. He'll be even more hurt… No matter what, I can't tell him…' He felt tears rolling down slightly from his cheek. He hid his face behind the book he picked randomly from nearby shelf, not caring the slightest what kind of book he took.

'What can I do? What should I do?'

He was deep in thought when a sudden jolt struck his body. His heart ached, his breathing became hard. Something was absorbing him. Something was trying to suck his life out of his body.

This was just like back then, back right after Roxas's struggle match on their orientation days.

It hurts.

But at the same time, he felt joy. Like, finding something he lost long ago.

"Ven? Are you okay?" Hayner asked. Ven grabbed his chest while faking a smile.

"Y-yeah. I think we should return now… lunch break is almost up…" He said as the feeling disappeared from his chest and returned along with Hayner to their classroom.

It happened again the next day. This time, it was during class. Zack noticed this and told him to rest at the infirmary. Ven couldn't deny this request. He felt like he could faint anytime soon.

"Thanks… Zack." Ventus said as he rested on the bed. His head was pounding crazily. He could barely focus his eyes on the black haired. The black haired smiled and tucked him in.

"No prob!" He grinned. "Well, rest well. Come back when you feel better. I'll tell Roxas about this." He said as he walked away.

"No! Don't!" Ventus yelled as he sat up and reached out to grab Zack's arm.

"H-huh?" Zack looked back at him with confused face. Ven looked really worried.

"Please, don't tell Roxas." He told him. Ven was really serious about this that Zack ended up promising him not to tell his twin.

But a few days later, his body couldn't hold it anymore that he fainted, again.

He woke up to find himself tucked in on his own bed with Roxas sleeping next to him. Roxas had his hands tangled to his own. He tried to get up and walked away from the bed only to have Roxas clinging his hand and not letting go.

He sighed and smiled as he lifted Roxas from the chair and placed him on the bed. With a lot of difficulties, he managed to tuck Roxas in.

It was early, very early in the morning. He spent the moment in silence while watching his brother's steady breathing. '…I've hurt you too much.' He thought as he ruffled his brother's hair. '…I know I shouldn't be like this, but I can't tell you… At least, not now.' He thought again.

It's not that he's mad at Roxas.

It's that he couldn't forgive himself and decided to make a distance between his brother and himself.

He thought that if he made some distance, his brother would hate him instead. But in the end, his plan backfired. Roxas ended up blaming himself for that, and got even more hurt.

'…I only want to live as a normal boy. I want to live with Roxas, Terra, Aqua, Sora, everyone.' He thought as he looked at the rising sun.

"There he is." Sora muttered to the red haired. Both Kairi and he were spying on Ven once they decided to start the 'Roxas and Ven make up' plan.

"Wow, he looks pretty terrible himself." Kairi commented as she saw how Ven was holding the book backwards. It didn't seem like he's reading. Instead, he just stared at it, his mind was elsewhere.

"From my perspective, Ven is actually pretty guilty himself. I mean, look at him…" She muttered as she examined Ventus's lonely and guilty face.

"Man, we have to do something to them." Sora muttered.

"Do what?" A girl's voice asked. Sora didn't look back and instead kept staring at Ventus while answering the girl's question. "Why, we have to make a set up for Roxas and Ven. So that we can help them repair their relations… Wait, huh?" Sora then realized that the voice asking wasn't Kairi's. Instead, it belong to another girl. A short haired girl looking at him with curios eyes.

"Xion?" Sora jumped in surprise upon seeing her.

"So, what are you guys planning in doing?" Xion asked out of curiosity.

"Well, the thing is, Roxas is having a fight with his twin. And we want them to make up with each other, so we're kind of thinking for a strategy." Sora explained. She listened to him closely and then nodded.

"…In that case…" Xion smiled. "Let me help, Sora." She said with an innocent smile. Something that Sora thought would never come from Xion.

And they agreed to let her help.

Roxas & Ven make up plan:

1. Have a lunch together with Ven. [Sora's note: You can't think without a good meal~]

"…Are you sure this is going to work?" Roxas asked in the second break. Usually, he would spend the time for a lunch with Naminé. But apparently, she had joined the make up operation and encouraged Roxas to have a lunch with Ven instead.

"Yeah! Of course! He'll be in good mood after a good meal!" Sora said with a playful grin. Roxas stared at him, eyes full of doubt.

"Oh! Here comes Ven. Go for it, Roxas!" Sora said as Ven appeared along with Terra and Aqua. The rest of them went to hide and watch from afar. Roxas gulped and approached Ven, who noticed him and watched him carefully.

"…Hey…" Roxas greeted. Ventus kept silent for a while then let Terra and Aqua to go on without him. He then waited for Roxas to spit it out.

"…I was wondering… if you'd want to take a lunch with me. It's been a while since we eat together, right?"

"…We just spent a dinner together last night." Ven answered.

"I mean, in the cafeteria. Honestly, Ven, I think we've never spent a time together in school." Roxas said, hoping for an approval.

"…Well, as you can see, I'm going to have lunch with Terra and Aqua. Don't you have to eat with Naminé?" He asked.

"N-Naminé is busy today." Roxas replied.

"…I think she's waiting for you over there." Ventus said as he looked at them before walking away.

Plan one: Failed.

"…Now I made him even angrier…" Roxas pouted. The other four looked down and apologized. But then suddenly Kairi stood up and encouraged him that there are more plans he could try.

2. Ask him to a movie.

And so he asked Ven to watch "Final Fantasy VII Advent Children" on the cinema with him, only to be rejected and told that he should go ask Naminé instead.

"…Another rejection…" Sora muttered.

3. Get Ventus his favorite ice cream.

"Seriously, Roxas?" Sora asked when Roxas went to buy Ventus's favourite ice cream.

"Eh? But he bought me ice cream when I'm sad…" He muttered in response.

"But how is that any different than treating him to a good meal?" Sora asked back. True that their first plan failed. But maybe this could work.

"…Stop it already…"

…Or not.

As they all turned, there was Ventus, his face seemed disturbed and a little angry. But he definitely wasn't as scary as before.

"…Ven…" Roxas muttered. Was Ventus even madder? What should he say now?

"…Ven, I… I never meant to…" Then he looked down, unable to see his brother's face anymore. But Ventus wasn't mad. Instead, he ruffled Roxas's head like a mother treating her child.

"Roxas, can we have a little talk? Alone?" He asked. Roxas stared at him for a moment, then looked at Sora and the others. They all motioned him to go with Ven and only watched from afar as the twins walked away.

Ventus dragged him up to the Twilight Town bell tower. The sky was painted with sorrowful red colour as the sun set down. He took a seat next to Ven and wait for his twin to speak.

He gulped in nervousness. What did Ven want to talk about?

"I'm sorry."

…what?

"…eh?" Was all Roxas could manage. He gawked like an idiot and just stared at his twin. Unsure with what he just heard.

"…I don't expect you to forgive me. But…I'm sorry, Roxas." He looked away.

"W-wait, I don't understand, Ven, I thought you're mad at me." He asked with a doubting voice.

"I am… I am angry at you. But, I'm angrier… with myself." Ventus clenched his fist before continuing.

"The nightmares…" He muttered. "I told you, didn't I? I've been having bad dreams lately. I realized that those dreams weren't merely nightmares. The dreams I saw. They were true." He said.

"I realized that those dreams are my memories which I lost. I started to look how to bring them back. Then he came." Ventus paused.

"Vanitas…" Roxas gritted his teeth. He loathed Vanitas. Even saying his name felt like eating mud or something.

Ventus nodded. "He told me that the memories were true. Of course I didn't believe him. But the more dreams I had the more true everything seemed to be. I remembered about him, about myself, about us…" He muttered.

"About him? You mean, you knew him?" Roxas exclaimed. His twin nodded again.

"I'm… still not sure how he is related to us. It just… came to me. But I figured that he's close enough to us… or at least, to me." He muttered.

Roxas was having a hard time to digest the new breakthrough he just found. The thought of Vanitas related to them made him sick. He didn't even want to imagine it.

"…The next memory I had was you in a black coat... along with a red haired boy and another one with blue haired. They look just like the seniors we saw back then. You're… hurt." Ventus muttered.

"Black coat…" Roxas muttered. Then, the memory he saw was true. But that didn't make any sense. Kairi and Riku were both attacked by these men under black coat. Does that mean that Axel is the attacker? Are they some kind of organization? That blue haired man with him could be under the same organization. And it fits the number.

But if that's so, why is he wearing a similar coat with them?

Who was he?

"…Roxas?" Ventus called as Roxas snapped out of his thought.

"Ack! I'm sorry. I was just… thinking. But hey, those were all in the past, right?" Ventus looked worried about him, but nodded in agreement with a slight smile.

"Yeah…" Then, he faced his twin with a smile. "I shouldn't get too worried about this. We're brothers. That'll never change." He chuckled.

Roxas smiled back. "Yeah!" He grinned.

"Well, should we head back and get Ice cream?" Ventus offered.

"Eh?"

"Hn? You don't want ice cream? That's rare…" Ventus commented.

"N-no, I mean. Well, weren't you angry with the secrets I'm keeping from you?" He asked with an unsure voice.

"Aah, that. Well… are you willing to tell me?" He asked. For a moment, Roxas froze.

"T-that's… uh… W-well…" Roxas looked away. But Ventus just chuckled.

"It's okay, I believe in you." He smiled. "Just… don't do anything stupid." He sighed.

"Thanks… Ven." Roxas smiled back.

"Well, let's go get ice cream." Ventus grinned. Roxas stood up with excitement, but then his foot missed its place and he lost his balance.

"Roxas!" Ventus screamed with horror as he watched his twin fall.

Roxas was still unsure with what's happening. Ventus seemed to be… so far away.

The last thing he heard was his twin's echoing voice.

'No way… I'm… falling again?'

It felt really slow.

When will he reach the ground? Or…

Did he… died?

When he opened his eyes, he was on the ground already. His stomach felt heavy. He tried to sat up and then he noticed that Ven got his arms wrapped around him. Ventus lied there unconscious.

None of them were injured.

"…What… just happened?" Roxas questioned himself as he checked his body and Ven's for scratches, but found none.

"Roxas!" A voice called from afar. He could see Sora, Kairi, Xion, and Naminé approaching them from the alley.

"Are you guys alright? You both… just fell from that tower." Naminé asked as she crouched down to examine Roxas's condition.

"…I'm…fine." Roxas answered. "But… what happened? I fell and… somehow, I'm… still alive?" Roxas asked.

Both Sora and Kairi stared at each other before telling the whole story.

"Well… When we're watching you two from afar, we saw you falling. Then Ven jumped in to catch you. And…" Kairi hesitated.

"Well… just like last time, you floated in mid air and fell to the ground slowly." Sora scratched his head. He couldn't provide a better answer.

"…It's Ventus." Xion exclaimed.

"Huh?" All of them placed their attention to the black haired. The black haired stared at the unconscious boy and continued. "Ventus saved you." She stated.

"Ventus saved me? What do you mean, Xion?" Roxas asked.

"You didn't know?" Xion asked back.

He tried to trace back his memories. True that there was time Ventus could fly when he was controlled by Vanitas. But wasn't that because Vanitas did something to Ven?

"We can talk about it later. Shouldn't we lie him down first?" Kairi suggested. They all agreed and brought him back to his room.

"It's useless, Xehanort." The black haired boy grunted as he slumped into the sofa lazily. He's starting to become impatient. He'd been waiting for too long.

"Placing that doll there only adds the number of the nobodies. What good does it do?" The black haired grumbled.

The bald man smirked as he watched the dark starless sky. "Half of Ventus's heart is with Roxas. I only need to join the hearts together. A keyblade wielder is capable in extracting one's heart. But his case is special. One wrong move and the half will disappear."

"Then, what about that red-head? She has a heart of pure light as well." The black haired sighed.

"No, her heart is pure, yet too weak to be used. She'll end up devoured by you instead."

"che."

"Master Xehanort, we've found it." A blue haired figure came and interrupted their conversation.

"As we expected, the place is locked with a password." The man continued.

"Ansem you fool… Kingdom Hearts could have granted us strength equal to God. No, perhaps, we could even surpass God Himself… Yet you feared that power. How foolish…" The bald man murmured with an evil grin.

"Ahh, but too bad…you could hear me no more."

"…_hmm?" He looked at his twin. Roxas was wearing his black coat again. Honestly he didn't like how Roxas dressed. It creeped him. It felt as if a ghost was tagging him along when they played together. _

"_Roxas, don't you have any other clothes than that?" He asked. The other boy shook his head. "I'm told… to wear this…" He muttered. Roxas still acted like a zombie. He didn't understand anything, didn't feel anything. It's as if he was a puppet or something. And those actions saddened Ven. After they finally meet again…_

"_I know! Roxas, let's play a game today!" He chirped playfully_

"_Game?"_

"_Yeah, you'll be me, and I'll be you. I'm sure no one can tell who is who." Ven smiled and then pulled his clothes off. "Here, change to this! I'll wear yours in exchange." He grinned. The other boy didn't understand what Ven was pulling through. But he followed what he was ordered to. _

"_It looks good on you, Roxas!" The older twin smiled when he saw Roxas wearing his clothes. It's like looking at the mirror. They were twins alright. _

"…_White…" Roxas muttered when he examined the clothes Ven lent to him. "Do you like white, Roxas?" Ven asked when he saw Roxas's slight interest. Roxas gave it a long thought before he finally nodded. _

"_Then, follow me!" Ven chirped as he pulled Roxas's hand and brought him to a land with white flowers. Daisies. _

"_Today is Roxas's first time ever mentioning what he likes." Ven stated as he gathered lots of daisies and arranged them to a flower crown. _

"_So, this is my gift for you!" He said as he finished the flower crown. He walked to the younger twin, whom stared at him mindlessly, and placed the flower crown on Roxas's head. _

"_Do you like it?" Ven asked. Examining Roxas's emotion carefully. The other boy picked the flower crown and examined it. A small spark of light glowed on his eyes. Then he smiled. _

"…_un." He muttered before he looked at Ven. "I… like it." He stated. It made Ven jumped in joy and hugged Roxas tightly. "Really? I'm so happy!" The older chirped happily. He could see a slight red blush forming on his brother's cheeks. _

"_Then, let's get ice cream! What is it called again, your favourite…" Ven muttered as he tried to recall the ice cream Roxas really loves. _

"_Sea-salt Ice cream." The younger stated with a small glitter on his eyes. _

"_Right, that!" He smiled as then he stood and took Roxas's hand. _

"_Oh, remember our game, call me Roxas for today!" He said to his twin. The other blonde nodded and followed him. They entered the mansion. It seemed to be an old mansion. There was no one else but them and their father. _

"_Roxas, where are you?" An old voice called them. _

"_Ah, it's father." Ventus exclaimed. He smiled and told Roxas to go ahead and buy the ice-cream without him. He turned and then ran to where the voice came from. _

"_I'm here, father." He said with a fake expression, trying his best to sound like Roxas. His heart is thumping. He wondered if their father would be able to differentiate them. _

_"Roxas, I need to tell you something." The man spoke. _

_"…What is it, father?" He asked._

"_You're a replica of Ventus, you don't have the right to sound like a human. Now, listen. Ventus's heart is strong enough to be forged along with Vanitas's to make a X-blade. Bring him into the lab tonight. That'll be your last mission. Now, you're dismissed." The bald man said before walking away. _

"_Eh?" Ventus froze. _

_That couldn't be. What was father saying?_

_Roxas is… my replica?_

A/N : So, has any of you thought of this? XD


	19. Chapter 19

Author's note : I don't own Kingdom Hearts. And well, I'm still alive! XD. I've been apologizing in these past chapters. But I just can't get my muse back… Well, I'm really sorry. I hope this chapter can satisfy you. A

Ventus woke up to the noise Roxas made. His body felt very weak and tired that he almost didn't want to wake up. It's as if something was pinning him to his bed. The blanket felt very heavy, but it's not that rare he didn't feel this way. He's used to it now. He yawned and looked around, only to be greeted by the mess Roxas made.

"…What are you doing, Roxas?" He asked with a slight frown. The whole room was a mess. Roxas was throwing things randomly out of their wardrobe, seemingly in search of something. In which most of the items thrown ended up on Ventus's bed. No wonder he felt a little heavier than usual.

"Oh… Morning… Ven." Roxas said with a nervous smile. "I was… uh, looking for my Struggle hat. I forgot that today is the struggle tournament day…" He chuckled nervously. He seemed to be in panic. Ventus sighed and helped him look.

"Come on, try to remember where you put it last time." He said as he looked in the drawers. Roxas closed his eyes and concentrated. "I didn't remember… just when did I last use it… Ack!" He yelled when he suddenly remember something.

"Did you remember?" Ventus asked.

"Yeah! I remember Hayner borrowed it from me! I'll go make a call." Roxas said as he hurried to pick up the phone and make a call. Ventus sighed and put away the things Roxas thrown.

Roxas is his replica. He knew that fact, yet he didn't know how it ended up like that. What is he? The bald man… their 'father' told him that he's a weapon. Or probably, an ingredient used to make that weapon. X-blade.

"Just what is… X-blade..." He muttered.

"Ven!" His twin shouted as he barged into the room with a relieved face. "Hayner said he already brought it with him. Thank goodness…" Roxas smiled. That look made him wonder for how much longer he could see that face. Time is running short. Something is going to happen. Yet, he couldn't do anything about it.

All he could do is to spend his days the fullest, and to search for what he really is.

The Struggle tournament was held after school. However, there are many students eagerly coming to the indoor gym to watch the struggle tournaments. Most of the spectators however are girls, Setzer's fangirls, to be exact. The others were people who love struggle matches and supporters of the players.

"How are you feeling, nervous?" Hayner asked while warming up by swinging his struggle bat.

"…Kind of." Roxas replied. His face slightly red. Hayner was wondering why the spiky haired was burning up. But his worries fade when he saw the direction where Roxas was looking at. There was Naminé, waving at him while cheering on him.

"Hey Rucksack! I'll make you pay for last time!" Seifer shouted from afar. He was looking ready while warming up with barbels on his hand. Rai stood behind him and massaged his muscles. There are other participants. Even Zack was participating.

He looked at the list of participants and the diagram. He was in the A block while Hayner is far in the C block. He'll have to fight to the Final if he wanted to fight Hayner. This match is going to be long. He wondered whether he will be able to make it to the top. But with Naminé watching, he mustn't lose a round. He mustn't.

"Now, let's… Struggle!" The Referee shouted before blowing the whistle. It's time for the first match. His first opponent was Sora's friend. Tidus or whoever his name is. The guy's movement was fast, and he dodged at the perfect time, making him a hard opponent to beat.

"You're going down!" The straw haired grinned as he dashed toward Roxas with his struggle bat on hand. Roxas made use of the opening he made and made the first strike. However, just like a wave, the kid's movements are unpredictable as he jumped and made an acrobatic turn to dodge Roxas's strike.

Roxas didn't saw that coming, but he managed to block his attacks in time. Not only that he has a swift movement, his strength is more powerful than normal struggle players. He's strong.

"Roxas watch out!" Naminé's voice broke through the cheers from the crowd and warned him from the coming attacks. Tidus swung his struggle battle upwards and managed to send Roxas into the air.

'Oh shi-' Before he could even think, Tidus whacked his struggle bat and made Roxas hit the ground hard. The orbs on Roxas's vest were scattered everywhere.

"I can't lose now!" Roxas yelled as he quickly got up and charged to his opponent. He jumped and clashed his struggle bat with the other to make the other lost his balance and quickly stroke the boy down with three hits.

The straw haired smirked as his orbs scatter around. "Not bad!" He said as he recover himself and dashed forward. However, he didn't attack Roxas. Instead, he ran to where the orbs were piled up. Those were Roxas's scattered orbs.

'Was he planning on stocking the orbs?' Roxas thought as he chase after him. The boy then suddenly turned and kicked the orbs towards Roxas's directions, astonishing him at the same time.

"What?" Roxas yelled as the straw haired jumped and slammed his struggled bat down to Roxas. Roxas got only a few orbs left on his gears. Time was also running short. He had to take down the boy or else he'll lose the battle.

"Game set, kid!" The straw haired said as he whacked his struggle bat, only to be blocked by Roxas and rained with the merciless slashes. The spiky haired took one step backward before charging with full power to blow Tidus away.

The referee blew his whistle right on the time Tidus fell to the ground. The counting starts and Roxas was declared as the winner with only a few difference of orbs against Tidus.

"Aww, I was this close!" The straw haired said as he sat down with a disappointed pout. But then a girl approached him and helped him up. She had short brown hair and differentially colored eyes. The two soon exited the stage with Tidus looking back at Roxas and grinned, telling him that he enjoyed their fight even though he lost.

One down, two more to go.

"Phew." He sighed gladly. He felt really relieved and happy. He's getting closer to the final round. Well, although he's still only at the base of the summit.

"Congratulation, Roxas." Naminé congratulate him as she handed him a towel and a drink. He blushed and smiled. "Thanks." He grinned. He could see Sora and the others from the audience seat.

"Say, who will you fight next?" Sora asked when he moved a little bit to give Roxas space to sit. "The winner of this fight, it seems." He said as the referee announced the start of the B block's fight. There he saw Zack and someone else he didn't know.

Zack, although he wasn't a struggle club member, he managed to give a nice play. He fought the other person like playing with a child. And there Roxas thought the black haired was a squatting maniac.

"He told me that he wanted to be a hero. Although… I don't know if winning tournaments is gonna make someone a hero aside from the fame." Ventus chuckled seeing his friend fighting eagerly.

"Well, too bad for him I'm gonna take him down at the next match." Roxas grinned.

"Then, good luck to both of you." then there was the signal from the referee. Announcing that the match is over and Zack is the winner of this round.

As expected, Hayner was the winner of the C block. His opponent to the second match was Seifer, who was the winner of the last block. With the remaining four player, there would only be three matches left to determine the winner. And Roxas was about to face his second match.

That is, until time stopped again.

All of the keyblade warriors quickly stood their ground and get ready for battle. "Damn, and I just got rest…" Roxas sighed as he put away his Struggle vest and helmet next to the frozen Ven.

"Don't worry, there's us!" Sora grinned. But he received a smirk from Roxas instead. "Nah, I don't plan on slacking off." Roxas smirked as he summoned his keyblades and ran to the direction Naminé pointed them.

"They came from various places." Naminé said as she scanned the area. "Then we'll have to split up." Terra quickly decided.

"The first one is near the gates. The second one came from the pool. The third one is on the roof. And the last one is in the parking area." Naminé stated.

"Right, I'll get the one in the pool." Terra stated. "I'll help." Kairi added.

"We'll take the roof! Right, Roxas?" Sora chuckled. "Okay." He replied.

"Then I'll…" Riku muttered before Xion cut him off. "I'll go with Riku." Xion said, she let out a small smile.

"I guess it leaves me with the Parking lot." Aqua sighed. "Oh, I'll come with you." Naminé said.

"Naminé? It's best if you stay here. It's dangerous." Aqua said. But the blond girl nodded. "I know, but I've figured out a way for me to help. Please, Aqua. Let me help. I don't want to stay as a bystander forever!" She said.

"…Well, just remember to keep your distance from me." She said.

"Be careful, Naminé!" Kairi yelled before parted along with Terra to the pool. "Don't push yourself." Roxas added before he and Sora sprinted to the roof.

"Okay!" Naminé nodded as she closed her eyes to concentrate on something. She held the star shaped charm close to her chest. It glew brightly, then she opened her eyes. "I'm ready." She said to Aqua.

"Then, we're off." Aqua said as she ran along with Naminé to the parking area.

"We should move too, Xion." Riku said. The black haired nodded with a smile. "Yes!" She said, letting out a creepy smile unseen by the silver haired.

Pool

There were few berserker nobodies waiting for them. Along with a man under a black hood. Kairi flinched when she saw the hodded man. He wore the same clothing as the one that attacked her back in the mirror of the Disney Town.

"You! You're the one that attacked me!" She shouted at him. The man said nothing but flicked his fingers. The berserker nobodies behind him all went on rampage and marched to attack the two.

"Kairi, get ready!" Terra yelled. The maroon haired nodded and summoned her keyblades at the same time as Terra. They stood back to back while eyeing on the nobodies surrounding them. There were few berserkers, but they were trapped in circle. And the tall guys don't seem to be that easy to break through either.

"Take this!" The red haired shouted as she pulled her keyblade up and casted Magnet. Magnetic field appeared and pulled the Berserker Nobodies into it, giving them a way to get out from the circle. The two quickly ran and casted magic from afar. With Terra shooting his Firaga from afar and Kairi helped with her Thunder spells, which she could barely control.

The few nobodies got crushed in no time. The hooded man then summoned his weapon, which happened to be a really big sword. Even bigger from Terra's keyblade.

"Terra!" Kairi shouted when the taller male jumped in front of her to defend her from the hooded man's powerful attack.

"Show yourself!" Terra yelled as he blocked the attack. The hooded man jumped back and swung his claymore hard to shot wave of force towards the two. The wave managed to throw them far away from him as he summoned new nobodies, whom quickly surrounded them again.

There was no enough time for Kairi to charge her magic before she was caught by one of the nobodies. She tried to struggle free, but the nobody's strength was far greater than her. "Let me go!" She cried out as she struggled. Unfortunately for her, it seemed like the nobody was planning to finish her off by controlling its levitating claymore to crush down on her.

Terra was busied by the nobodies surrounding him when he heard Kairi's scream. "Kairi!" he shouted as he raced with time. The claymore was now only a few inches from Kairi. She closed her eyes tight. Then from underneath, a circle was formed and light was blasted from it.

"W-what?" Kairi muttered as she fell to the ground. The light has managed to destroy the nobody holding her. It helped her survive from the nobody's deadly attack.

"Kairi! Are you okay?" Terra shouted as he bent down to help her up. "Yeah. I'm fine." She said as she summoned her keyblade again.

Terra sighed in relief. Then quickly stole the claymore left behind by the defeated Nobody and used it to kill the remaining nobodies.

The two keyblade wielders glared at the hooded man, which seemed to be in surprise when seeing the light. He said no words and summoned a dark portal for him to flee. Terra chased him, but he had managed to get away.

Parking Lot

"Kairi!" Naminé suddenly screamed, which startled Aqua.

"Naminé? What happened?" Aqua asked with concern. Naminé gasped for air. She held her charm close. Aqua crouched down and placed her arms around the girl's shoulder. Supporting her tiny build. Naminé was making that horrified look, but seconds later, she smiled gladly.

"Kairi… was in danger." She muttered. "But she's fine now. I'm so glad!" She said. Aqua didn't understand what she's saying. But helped her up anyways.

"So I can use it like this too…" Naminé muttered again, then she felt something getting closer from the realm of darkness.

"It's coming!" Naminé yelled when a dozen of Neoshadows arose from the dark portal and surrounded them.

"Naminé, stand back!" Aqua told her. But the girl didn't move. "Naminé!" Aqua tried again. Naminé held the star shaped charm close and concentrated on something. Suddenly, circle of lights appear underneath the shadows and blasted them away. Some, though, managed to escape and crawled closer to the two.

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted as she casted Thundaga. Electricity formed on the tip of her keyblade as it stormed to electrify the shadows.

"I did it!" Naminé cried happily.

"Did… That light, was that you?" Aqua asked as she looked at the shorter girl. Naminé nodded in response. "With this, I can help too." She said as she held the charm close.

Aqua smiled. "Well then, let's take care of these shadows." Aqua said as she changed into her Spell Weaver style, one that made her able to freely control her keyblade around similar to Ventus's Wingblade.

Rooftop

Both boys were panting when they finally reached the roof. The distance between the rooftop and the gym was much longer than they expected. "Okay, we're here. Where's the heartless?" Sora cried out when he saw a reflection of himself standing with an annoyed look.

Only that his reflection had black hair.

"You! What are you doing here?" Sora yelled as his stomach boiled. He could still remember what the dark haired did to Kairi and Ventus. He couldn't forgive him. Especially since they shared the same face.

"What am I doing? Waiting for you of course. You guys took so long that I thought I'd die out of boredom." He chuckled.

"You little!" Sora lunged forward, but was then stopped by Roxas.

"…Roxas?" Sora looked at the blond. Roxas was angry. He could tell that by seeing his face. But he was unexpectedly calmer than usual.

"…Tell me something, Vanitas." Roxas growled. His eyes furious. Vanitas just smirked. The way the raven haired smiled to him irked him more. That was the face of knowing something Roxas wanted to ask.

Roxas summoned both of his keyblades and gritted his teeth. "Just what are you to us?" He growled again. There must be something. With what happened ten years ago. The fire, The organization, Ventus's memories.

And Vanitas held the key to solve them.

"Why don't you guess?" Vanitas said playfully. He then eyed Sora with a tempting look. "I suppose your friend there must have known something." He grinned.

"…Sora?" Roxas looked back to his brunette friend, whom flinched and quickly waved his hands in front of him.

"I – I don't know anything!" Sora cried out in panic.

"See, he knows something." Vanitas chuckled.

"I don't! I really don't! He's lying Roxas!" Sora said as he pointed at Vanitas.

"Really? Let's see which one of us is lying." Vanitas laughed. Roxas jumped forward and attacked Vanitas with his keyblades. However, his attack was successfully blocked by Vanitas's Void gear.

"Sorry, but I believe in Sora!" He cried out with anger as he jumped backwards and threw both his keyblades at him. Both of which were again blocked and thrown back at him.

"Roxas!" Sora smiled as he summoned his own keyblade. "Let's go, partner." Roxas said as he caught the keyblades.

"Eat this!" Sora yelled as he casted Firaga balls to the humanoid unversed. The attack didn't reach him, but Roxas's quick movement managed to get him to Vanitas's back and hit the boy with his combo attacks.

However, the black haired suddenly vanish and appeared behind Roxas with unexpected movement. "Too slow!" He yelled as he whacked his keyblade at Roxas and delivered a painful blow.

Sora then lunged forward and thrust his keyblade to Vanitas, which then vanished again and appeared far from the two with dark firaga shot towards them.

"That it?" Vanitas teased. Roxas struggled and pushed himself toward the ravenette once again. This time, Vanitas lunged forward as well and whispered something to him when they traded blows.

"…what?" Roxas was caught unfocused when Vanitas knocked both of his keyblades off his hands.

"Roxas!" Sora cried out as he aimed his keyblade to Vanitas and shot Firaga once again. Too bad for him, Vanitas had pulled Roxas to be his shield and then threw the blonde to Sora.

"...You and I are never supposed to exist." Vanitas said as he summoned dark portal. "However, I… will fight 'fate'." He said before vanishing into the dark portal.

"Wait, Vanitas!" Roxas screamed before few heartless came in exchange of the boy's disappearance that they had no choice but to fight them.

"Is that everything, Naminé?" Terra asked. All eight of them had returned from their assigned post. Naminé made a second check and then nodded. She could feel none of the dark power anymore.

"Yes. I believe that's everything." She said.

"I… still can't believe it. Naminé, since when were you able to do that?" Kairi said with a smile to her cousin, whom smiled gladly to see her sister doing fine.

"I don't know I had that kind of power as well. But now that I did, I'm happy I can be of some help." Naminé said as she clutched to her paopu shaped charm tightly.

"Well, we should return soon then. Right, Roxas?" Sora said as he turned to the blond. Who wore that depressed look on his face. "Roxas?" He called to him.

"H-huh?" Roxas muttered.

"Duh, isn't your match starting soon? Should it even be okay for you to be here?" Sora said.

"Crap!" Roxas frowned and immediately sprint back to the gym. "W-wait, Roxas!" Sora shouted as all of them ran back to the gym.

He could hear the referree's whistle as he got closer to the gym and the crowd's cheer. It seemed that another match has already started. Hopefully he wasn't disqualified. He struggled through the excited supporters and finally got himself to the front line.

"Sorry I'm late!" He yelled. But no one paid attention to him. Not even the referee. They were all focused on the match. Zack was holding his struggle bat and grinned at his opponent.

Roxas was surprised to find himself already in the match.

"…Ven?" Roxas muttered as he watched his lookalike wearing the struggle helmet and the struggle bat backwards.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. I have no excuse. I am lazy to update. ._. #Gets shot. Anyways, if you're still reading, I am very, very, veerryy thankful of you QAQ and very sorry too A [But I'm lazy to update my FF because I have trouble logging in. So you can just go to my tumblr if you want.]

"Now, let's… Struggle!" Then the whistle is blowed. The battle was supposed to be between him and Zack. However, in his place was now none other but his own twin brother, Ven. Apparently the older noticed that he was not there and could be disqualified if he didn't return in time.

Ven moved pretty fast for someone that has never been into a struggle match before. He could surprisingly dodge almost all of Zack's attacks. Roxas noticed that. That wasn't the play of an amateur. Although, the way he was wielding his struggle bat was kind of off. Then he remembered about the wooden keyblade Terra gave Ven. Ven held the wooden toy in a similar way. Had he been training, then?

"You're quite fast, Roxas!" Zack grinned as he delivered a blow to Ventus. Ven got knocked right on the chest that he was sent flying backwards while dropping a few orbs to the ground.

"Ven!" Roxas shouted. Which took the attention of the other keyblade wielders, who just arrived at the audience seats.

"You mean, that was Ven?" Kairi shouted. She didn't realize that Ventus was the one in the arena. There was no telling which one is who if not for the arm band they were wearing.

"Terra, Ven is…" Aqua muttered as she watched the match. "The Back-hand style…huh?" An old gruffy voice answered. Behind the two stood their master with a smile on his face.

"Master!" Both pupils cried out when they saw him.

"I was… probably wrong in thinking that he won't remember of those times. However, although his heart doesn't remember. His body does. And eventually, they will return to him." The master spoke.

The struggle match continued as they talked. Zack was having the upperhand right now, delivering accurate blows to Ventus. And though the blond had managed to evade most of his attacks, he was still getting a few hits. Mostly because he tried to attack Zack.

"…What's wrong with Ven? He looked troubled." Sora pointed out. Roxas was next to him, also trying to figure out why Ventus didn't attack.

'_Ven…' _He thought watching his twin. He couldn't stand watching Ventus being beaten by Zack like that althought it was just a friendly match.

'…_Strange… my body is… heavy.'_ Ventus thought to himself as he watched Zack's movement carefully before dodging his quick slashes. He then turned at the crowds and saw Roxas's worried face.

"Oh, you're back." He grinned to his twin and then focused on the match again. His vision was hazy. It was just like days before. Like his energy was being absorbed. But he couldn't afford to lose now.

"I'm sorry, Zack." He said to his opponent before taking a stance of a move. Zack was oblivious to what Ventus was saying and kept dashing toward with his Omnislash move. In a split second, Ventus dashed forward, trading blows with Zack by multiple fast slashes and acrobatic moves that normal eyes couldn't see.

It was Ars Arcanum.

It all happened so fast that both of them remained silent after the blow. Although in the end, both fell to the ground and Zack was left with no orbs while Ven managed to save a few on his Vest.

"Aww, I lost. That was really something Roxas!" Zack grinned. Ventus panted and grinned back at him before quickly disappeared from the arena. Roxas was already waiting for him at the changing room.

"Ven!" His twin cried as he quickly catch Ven before he fell to the ground. "You're too reckless!" Roxas cried as he helped him to sit down on the bench.

"Says someone who doesn't return on time. Where did you guys go anyway?" He muttered as he passed the bat and the vest to Roxas.

"Well…" Roxas rolled his eyes. Ventus noticed that it was something Roxas didn't want to tell and passed him a carefree smile. "Well, you can thank your brother later. Go win the tournament. Then we can throw a party." He grinned before returning to the spectator's seat.

"You bet!" Roxas smiled.

His last round before fighting the champion, Setzer was against Seifer. With the other grinning at him with mocking smiles. Roxas turned to see a guilty faced Hayner on the bench. He approached him, and the other apologized.

"Sorry, I really wanted to fight you at the finals, but…" Hayner apologized, he looked really down. But Roxas assured him with a smile.

"Don't worry. We can make it to the finals together another time." Roxas smiled. Hayner chuckled and then placed his hand on Roxas's shoulder.

"Alright, go beat him and take the champion position!" Hayner said. At which, Roxas nodded and ran to the arena once again.

"So you have the courage to face me, huh? Well, we'll see how you fare!" The older said.

He beat Seifer once. However, it seemed like the other had trained himself ever since then. Or Seifer is actually pretty good. It took him quite some time to take out all of the orbs from him.

"What's wrong? Scared of my strength? Ha! I was holding my powers because you're such a newb. But I ain't cutting you any slack now!" The older smirked as he delivered a great blow to Roxas.

"Well, sorry." Roxas muttered. "But I'm gonna win this match!" Roxas smirked as he quickly got Seifer off-guard and sent him flying. Almost all of Seifer's orbs were taken away from his vest and that gave Roxas the upperhand of the match.

And in the end, Seifer still couldn't win against Roxas either.

"You did it! Now you only need to beat Setzer!" The trio, Hayner, Pence, and Olette cheered for him when he won. Roxas was enjoying his small achievement when he realized that Ventus is missing from the spectator's bench.

"Sora? Where's Ven? Is he…?" He grimaced.

"Don't worry. Ven fell asleep in the middle of your match. We figured that he was fatigued by the struggle match and so Riku and Xion offered to take him home since they are pretty much beaten from the Heartless attack too." Sora explained the condition.

"I see…" He sighed gladly. If it's Riku that took him home, he could put his mind at ease. Riku was a reliable person. If it's Riku that escorted them, then there shouldn't be any trouble.

"Well, then champ-to-be, go take the champion seat!" Kairi teased, Naminé was beside her. "Good luck, Roxas. I'll cook a lot for you if you win." She said with a smile. Which of course, burnt Roxas's passion even more.

"I'll win this for sure!" Roxas shouted, even with that goofy smile that can't seem to escape his face.

Xion watched the blonde on the silverette's back. They were now wearing a black coat. Each had their hood up. None of them traded words. They just walked through the empty eerie forest. The voice of their footsteps and cold wind brushing the trees are the only noise they could hear.

"…Is taking him from them really necessary?" Asked the black haired.

"Had you forgot, No.i? This is an order from Master Xehanort." The silver haired said. She knew that, still, she felt very wrong taking Ventus away from Roxas.

If Roxas knew about this, she wonder if he'd be angry. He'll be sad. And most of all, he'll probably hate her. Roxas was nice. He was the first person to praise her beside Axel. It made her very happy. That's why, she didn't want to have him hate her.

"No.i …" She heard the silver haired's voice. They have arrived in front of an old abandoned mansion. The gate was locked by one giant lock. The silver haired was watching her coldly. She knew what he wanted and quickly pull her keyblade and aimed it at the giant lock.

A laser of light bursted from her keyblade as it unlocked the giant lock. It was when a sudden urge of doubt struck her heart.

'Was this really the right thing?'

"What are you doing, No.i?" The silver haired asked again as she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Y-yes, I'm sorry." She said as she caught up with the silver haired.

The mansion was really old. They can see spiderwebs in almost every corner of the room. There were broken knight armors lying around as well as debrises of something unidentificable. In the middle of the room was a broken statue of a horse of some sort. The paintings on the walls had fell down.

Far at the end of the room was a bald man with golden eyes, watching the garden as they entered the mansion.

"We have returned, master." The silver haired said.

"Did you bring him?" The old man asked with groggy voice. The silver haired nodded before answering "Yes".

"Good, we can move to the next step then." The man looked at the moon shining on the night sky.

A passage to the hollow of darkness was opened and a black haired boy appeared with a grin on his face.

"Right away, Master." The black haired said as he took the blonde away from the two. Xion looked at Ventus with a little disagreeable face. But her hoods managed to cover her face perfectly.

"Now, you two are dismissed." The master said. And they left to their rooms.

There's no returning to the dorm anymore. No missions with Roxas, Sora, Kairi, everyone. How silly… they were enemies from the start. She was just deceiving them.

Then what is this pain that ached in her chest?

"And the winner is…" There was a drum roll, the excitement held back by the crowds, and smiles on the gang's face.

"ROXAS!" The announcer shouted, followed by cheers from the supporters. Hayner and Sora immediately jumped to glomp the pointy haired.

"You did it! Roxas! You're the champ!" Hayner said as he smothered his friend. "Hayner! Your hand! I can't breath!" The blonde struggled free. The other boy was too excited that he didn't hear what Roxas said.

"Che, it was just luck." Roxas could hear Seifer and his friends glared at him as he received his throphy and prize money before walking away in defeat. The champion, Setzer was no longer crowded by his fangirls. Most of them were disappointed by his defeat and left right away.

On the other hand, Roxas had grew some popularity among the girls and gained himself a fanclub of his own. At which he didn't know what to say and just waved at them awkwardly. He sweated a bit when the girls shrieked and squealed happily. Perhaps it was wrong to smile at them.

"Congratulations, Roxas." Namine said as she crouched down next to him. She had a red blush on her face, but she had the face of someone realizing something. "I think… I can work on the sketch now…" She said with small voice.

"P-please look forward to it." She added.

"Sure." Roxas smiled back.

"Weeellll…" Sora released the blonde from his grip and walked away slowly. "Let's leave those lovebirds and grab something to eat! I'm hungry! Riku!" Roxas turned to call at the silver haired, but he was no where to be seen.

"Huh? Where's Riku? He's not back yet?" Sora asked. Everyone started to look for the silver haired. But it seemed like he never actually returned to the hall.

"Xion isn't here either." Kairi noted as she turned her head aimlessly to look for the black haired.

"Maybe they returned to their rooms already." Sora said when his stomach started to grumble. "Look who's complaining…" Sora sighed.

"Then let's have some party! I know a place where they sell delicious pastas. We should all go there and stuff up!" Pence noted.

"But Ven's not here, and it's not right to start without him." Olette added.

In the end, they all agreed to throw the party tomorrow. After all, Ventus, Riku, and Xion aren't there. It won't be the same without them.

"Then we'll go back first. See you tonight, everyone." Kairi said as she left along with Namine. Sora tagged along to escort them. Terra, Aqua and Eraqus left not long after. Roxas was busy taking photos and surrounded by his new fans.

"Roxas." Then he heard a voice. A red haired male was standing far behind the crowds. It was Axel.

"Axel? You were here too?" He asked. Then he noticed that the red haired was wearing a rather worried face. He motioned Roxas to come with him. And the blonde followed him.

"What is it, Axel?" He asked as they entered the empty changing room.

"I told you we'll meet again." The red haired grinned. But his eyes weren't looking at Roxas.

"Listen, I…" Before he even started, a dark portal opened and a male haired teen came out from the dark portal.

"What are you trying to do, Lea?" The stern-faced with a huge scar on his face asked to his comrade. He was wearing the black coat.

"You're!" Roxas remembered the guy. He had been with Axel almost everytime he saw him. What was his name again?

"Oh crap." Axel grunted before summoning a dark portal behind him.

"Axel?" Roxas turned to the red haired, whom made an apologetic look before disappearing to the dark portal. Axel disappeared in a flash, but Roxas could hear him muttering something like an apology.

"Sorry." he said. But… why the apologize? What did Axel do?

"Well then…I have a message to deliver to you, Roxas." His attention was caught by the blue haired's seemed to be Axel's friend. But that black coat he was wearing, was he the person Kairi mentioned? The black coated guy that attacked her…

He decided to stay silent and listen to whatever this guy had to say.

"Come to the mansion. You know where it is. Make sure you're alone." The blue haired said, still with a stern-face.

"…And why should I?" He asked. It's clearly a trap. There's something about this guy that screams "enemy" just from his aura. Whoever he is, he is definitely not someone friendly.

"The one who attacked Kairi and Riku, was that you?" He glared and put his struggle bat in defensive way.

"…Your brother is with us." The blue haired said.

He dropped the bat.

"Whether you want to come or not, is up to you. Remember, we can't assure your brother's safety must you bring someone else with you." The blue haired then opened up another portal and disappear.

"Wait! What do you mean by he's with you?" He chased after the blue haired to no avail. He was too late. His body wasn't moving as fast as it used to be. Apparently, he was too shocked that he couldn't move properly.

Rage was boiling in his blood. Fear paralyzed his feet. And Confusion clouded his mind.

'Ven!' His mind screamed.

He ran to the mansion.

[A/N : Yea, I notice I have lots of grammar mistakes… but again, english isn't my mother language. Please spare my mistakes ._. I'll try to get better. And… forgive me for another cliffhanger story A]


End file.
